Trump Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Deploy Guard in Illinois
(MENAFN) The Trump administration has filed an emergency request with the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking permission to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois, multiple media outlets reported Friday.
The move comes amid escalating tensions over federal immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago, where protests have surged in response to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. President Trump previously called the city a “war zone.”
According to reports, 300 Illinois National Guard members have already been federalized, and more than 200 personnel from Texas and California have been dispatched to Chicago. The president has also sent guardsmen to Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., drawing sharp opposition from local officials who argue the deployments are an overreach in response to largely peaceful demonstrations.
The emergency appeal, submitted through the Justice Department, asks the high court to overturn a federal injunction that currently blocks additional National Guard deployment to Illinois.
“This Court should stay the district court’s October 9 injunction in its entirety,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the administration’s petition. “The injunction improperly impinges on the President’s authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property.”
The case marks the first time the Supreme Court has been asked to intervene in Trump’s use of National Guard forces in domestic cities — a strategy that has drawn intense scrutiny from lawmakers, civil rights groups, and constitutional scholars.
Justice Department attorneys contend the situation in Chicago reflects a “disturbing and recurring pattern” in which federal agents face “prolonged, coordinated, violent resistance” while enforcing immigration law.
“The district court then issues an opinion granting injunctive relief against the President’s action that downplays or denies the ongoing threat to the lives and safety of federal agents, substitutes the court’s own judgment for the President’s about the need for military augmentation, and gives little or no weight to the United States’ interest in enforcing federal immigration law,” Sauer added.
A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit ruled Thursday that the administration’s action likely violated the Constitution’s Tenth Amendment, which limits federal power over state matters. The court concluded there was “insufficient evidence” of an insurrection and that conditions on the ground “do not justify” a military deployment in Chicago.
A temporary restraining order blocking further troop deployment remains in place through October 23. U.S. District Judge April Perry has set a hearing for October 22 to decide whether the order should be extended.
This high-stakes legal clash could reshape federal authority over domestic military involvement and significantly impact the balance of power between state and federal governments.
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