Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s effort to deploy national guard troops in Chicago | Chicago
A judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from federalizing or deploying the national guard in Illinois after Donald Trump ordered the White House to send hundreds of troops to Chicago to help with immigration enforcement and combat high crime rates in the city.
US district judge April Perry announced her decision from the bench in the courtroom after more than two hours of arguments by federal government and Illinois state attorneys who sued the Trump administration over the assignment. The decision came into force on Thursday and will remain in effect for two weeks.
According to reporters in the courtroom, Perry said he had “seen no credible evidence that there was a danger of a riot in the state of Illinois.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement: “Donald Trump is not a king and his administration is not above the law.” . Quoting the judge, Pritzker added: “Today the court confirmed what we all know: There is no credible evidence of a riot in the state of Illinois. And there is no place for the National Guard on the streets of American cities like Chicago.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who attended the hearing, said: in the name The verdict is “a victory for the people of Chicago and the rule of law.” He vowed that the city “will continue to use every tool at our disposal to end the Trump administration’s war on Chicago.”
Illinois state lawyers had described the sending of National Guard soldiers to the city, which was opposed by Chicago and state political leaders, as a constitutional crisis.
Attorney Christopher Wells said the government “nevertheless continues to move forward.” “The soldiers are here now.” Chicago and Illinois, led by Democratic elected leaders, say Trump overstepped his authority and ignored calls to keep the national guard off the streets.
Justice Department attorney Eric Hamilton, meanwhile, said the Chicago area was rife with “tragic lawlessness.”
“Chicago is facing a brazen new form of hostility from rioters targeting federal law enforcement,” Hamilton said. “They are not protesters. There is enough danger of riots here.”
National Guard members from Texas and Illinois arrived this week at the U.S. Army reserve headquarters in Elwood, southwest of Chicago. All 500 National Guard members are under US northern command and have been activated for 60 days.
Earlier this week, Trump said Johnson and Pritzker should be jailed for failing to protect federal agents during a crackdown on immigration enforcement.
Two dozen other states with a Democratic attorney general or governor have signed on to an appeals court petition supporting California’s legal challenge — as well as one in Portland, Oregon, where a similar troop deployment is also being challenged.
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military’s role in enforcing domestic laws. But Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send active-duty military into states that fail to quell an insurrection or defy federal law.
In a separate decision Thursday, U.S. district judge Sara Ellis issued a preliminary injunction restricting agents from using force, including pepper balls, rubber bullets and physical force such as pulling, pushing or shoving. fight against protesters and journalists who do not pose a serious threat to law enforcement.
Ellis’ order covers all of Northern Illinois and also requires federal agents to wear “visible identification” such as badges; This became the subject of heated debate after viral images emerged of masked, plainclothes officers conducting immigration proceedings in many US cities.
Trump had previously sent troops to Los Angeles and Washington DC. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city’s mayor, Paul Young, said members of the national guard would begin patrolling on Friday. Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, supports the use of troops.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
