The deployment of the National Guard in Illinois by President Donald Trump is facing legal challenges ahead of a crucial court hearing set for Thursday. US District Judge April Perry will review arguments regarding a request aimed at blocking the deployment of Illinois and Texas National Guard members. This comes just a day after a small contingent of troops began their mission to protect federal properties in the Chicago area.
Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois, along with local officials, has expressed strong opposition to this deployment. According to a spokesperson from US Northern Command, a segment of the 200 Texas Guard troops sent to Illinois began their operations in the Chicago area on Wednesday. However, the spokesperson chose not to disclose the specific locations where these troops were assigned.
The 200 Texas Guard troops and approximately 300 Illinois troops arrived at a US Army Reserve Center located in Elwood, to the southwest of Chicago. Under the command of the Northern Command, these 500 troops have been activated for a duration of 60 days. Their main objective is to enhance security for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and other federal properties, as indicated by Northern Command.
Responding to the deployment, Chicago and Illinois filed a lawsuit on Monday, seeking to halt the actions they deem unnecessary and illegal. In comments made to the media, President Trump labeled Chicago as a crime-ridden ‘hellhole,’ although crime statistics indicate a substantial reduction in incidents recently.
The lawsuit filed by Chicago and Illinois authorities argues that protests at an ICE detention facility in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago, have not obstructed federal immigration enforcement efforts. The filing asserts, ‘The President is using the Broadview protests as a pretext.’ Furthermore, they describe the deployment of federal troops in Illinois as part of a larger strategy by the Trump administration to target jurisdictions he finds unfavorable.
On Wednesday, President Trump stated that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor Pritzker should be jailed for allegedly failing to provide protection for federal agents during immigration enforcement operations.
In a related legal development, a panel of judges in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals was set to hear arguments regarding Trump’s authority to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. The president had planned this deployment in response to predominantly minor nightly protests occurring outside another ICE facility. However, state and city officials are adamant that these troops are unwelcome and unnecessary.
Judge Karin J Immergut of the US District Court issued a temporary restraining order on Sunday, blocking Trump’s plan to send Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. Just hours later, after the initial ruling, Trump mobilized California’s troops for the same purpose. The administration has yet to appeal this order, which was issued amidst assertions from Trump that the troops were required for the protection of Portland’s federal facilities.
Judge Immergut, appointed by Trump himself, disagreed with the need for military intervention, arguing that there had not been any significant or prolonged disruptive protest activity within months.
The Posse Comitatus Act, a law that has been in place for nearly 150 years, limits the military’s involvement in domestic law enforcement. Despite this, President Trump has indicated his willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act, allowing him to deploy active-duty military forces in states that are struggling to manage insurrections or are defying federal law.
In previous instances, Trump has sent troops to locations such as Los Angeles and Washington, while a small group began assisting in law enforcement efforts in Memphis, Tennessee, this week. This deployment in Memphis is part of a broader initiative known as the Memphis Safe Task Force, which comprises around a dozen federal law enforcement agencies aimed at combating crime in the city.
Unlike others, Tennessee’s Republican Governor Bill Lee has shown support for the use of the National Guard in this context.
image source from：aljazeera
