CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois leaders went to court Monday to stop President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops to Chicago, escalating a clash between Democratic-led states and the Republican administration during an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city. The legal challenge came hours after a judge blocked the Guard’s deployment in Portland, Oregon. The Trump administration has portrayed the cities as war-ravaged and lawless amid the government’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Officials in Illinois and Oregon say military intervention isn’t needed and that federal involvement is inflaming the situation.
The lawsuit alleges that “these advances in President Trump’s long-declared ‘War’ on Chicago and Illinois are unlawful and dangerous.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said some 300 of the state’s Guard troops were to be federalized and deployed to Chicago, along with 400 others from Texas. “The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” the lawsuit says.
Pritzker described the potential deployment as “Trump’s invasion,” urging Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to oppose it. Abbott defended the plan, arguing that the crackdown was necessary to protect federal workers in the city. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed that Trump authorized the use of Illinois National Guard members due to “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order prohibiting federal immigration agents from using city properties for enforcement operations.
Residents have expressed growing concerns as armed Border Patrol agents conduct arrests near famous landmarks. Protests against the immigration crackdown have intensified, leading to multiple arrests.
This conflict follows a recent trend where Trump has targeted several cities across the U.S., citing rising crime and immigration issues. In Portland, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against troop deployments from neighboring states, suggesting increased scrutiny of the administration's justifications for military intervention amid declining crime rates in many urban areas.
The lawsuit alleges that “these advances in President Trump’s long-declared ‘War’ on Chicago and Illinois are unlawful and dangerous.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said some 300 of the state’s Guard troops were to be federalized and deployed to Chicago, along with 400 others from Texas. “The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” the lawsuit says.
Pritzker described the potential deployment as “Trump’s invasion,” urging Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to oppose it. Abbott defended the plan, arguing that the crackdown was necessary to protect federal workers in the city. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed that Trump authorized the use of Illinois National Guard members due to “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order prohibiting federal immigration agents from using city properties for enforcement operations.
Residents have expressed growing concerns as armed Border Patrol agents conduct arrests near famous landmarks. Protests against the immigration crackdown have intensified, leading to multiple arrests.
This conflict follows a recent trend where Trump has targeted several cities across the U.S., citing rising crime and immigration issues. In Portland, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against troop deployments from neighboring states, suggesting increased scrutiny of the administration's justifications for military intervention amid declining crime rates in many urban areas.
