Chicago and Illinois Sue Trump Over National Guard Deployment/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to block President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to the city. The move came just hours after a federal judge barred similar troop deployments to Portland, Oregon. State officials called the plan an unconstitutional “invasion,” while the White House defended it as necessary to curb violence and protect federal property.
Illinois v. Trump Deployment Quick Looks
- Illinois and Chicago sue to stop Trump’s National Guard deployment plan.
- Follows federal judge’s ruling in Oregon blocking similar troop mobilizations.
- Gov. JB Pritzker calls the potential deployment “Trump’s invasion.”
- Lawsuit accuses Trump of abusing federal power for political gain.
- White House cites “lawlessness” and “violent unrest” as justification.
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott supports troop deployment; Pritzker urges him to halt it.
- Federal agents’ actions in Chicago, including a shooting, spark outrage.
- Protesters rally near immigration centers and ICE facilities.
- Portland’s protests remain small, with data showing crime has fallen 51%.
- Trump administration has discussed sending troops to 10 U.S. cities since 2024.
Deep Look
Chicago and Illinois Take Trump Administration to Court Over National Guard Deployment Plan
CHICAGO — In a rapid legal escalation following a weekend of protests and political tension, Illinois and the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit Monday to block the Trump administration’s plan to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to the city.
The filing came just hours after a federal judge in Oregon halted the deployment of federalized troops to Portland, a move that the White House had attempted to push through despite mounting opposition from Democratic governors and mayors.
The Legal Showdown
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago city officials accused President Trump of attempting to use the military to punish political opponents and create a narrative of urban chaos to justify federal intervention.
“These advances in President Trump’s long-declared ‘war’ on Chicago and Illinois are unlawful and dangerous,” the lawsuit states. “Americans should not live under the threat of military occupation simply because their leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor.”
The lawsuit seeks an immediate injunction to stop the federalization of roughly 300 Illinois National Guard troops, who were set to be deployed alongside 400 others from Texas as part of Trump’s domestic security crackdown.
Governor Pritzker called the plan “Trump’s invasion”, arguing that it violates constitutional limits on federal power and undermines state sovereignty. He also urged Texas Governor Greg Abbott to withdraw his state’s troops, saying that “no governor should support an unlawful use of the U.S. military against Americans.”
Abbott, however, defended the move, claiming the deployment was necessary to protect federal personnel and facilities amid what he described as “violent unrest.”
White House Defends Deployment
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed that President Trump had authorized the use of Illinois National Guard members, citing what she called “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” that local officials had “failed to control.”
The order is part of Trump’s broader domestic security campaign, which his administration has described as a federal response to urban disorder. Critics say it’s a politically motivated effort to portray Democratic-led cities as unsafe ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Rising Tension in Chicago
The legal action followed a tense weekend in Chicago, where federal Border Patrol agents carried out immigration enforcement operations near popular downtown landmarks.
Residents expressed fear after reports of agents detaining people in heavily Latino neighborhoods. Demonstrations outside an ICE processing facility in Broadview resulted in 13 arrests Friday, according to federal officials.
The situation escalated further on Saturday when Border Patrol agents shot a woman on Chicago’s Southwest Side. The Department of Homeland Security later said the shooting occurred after agents’ vehicles were “rammed and boxed in by 10 cars.” No officers were seriously injured.
Civil rights groups and local leaders condemned the federal response as excessive and provocative, warning that militarizing immigration enforcement risked further violence.
Parallel Legal Fight in Oregon
The Chicago lawsuit mirrors ongoing litigation in Oregon and California, where U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary restraining order Sunday blocking the Trump administration from sending National Guard units to Portland.
Immergut, a Trump appointee, questioned whether deploying troops from California and Texas after her initial order amounted to an attempt to circumvent the court’s authority.
“Aren’t defendants simply circumventing my order?” the judge asked during an emergency hearing. “Why is this appropriate?”
Despite Trump’s claims that Portland is “war-ravaged,” local officials have pointed out that crime rates have dropped sharply. The Major Cities Chiefs Association reported a 51% decline in homicides during the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year.
Under new city leadership, Portland has seen reduced crime, fewer homeless encampments, and a gradual recovery of downtown foot traffic.
A Pattern of Federal Intervention
Since the start of his second term, President Trump has authorized or discussed National Guard deployments to at least 10 major U.S. cities, including Baltimore, Memphis, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
In one earlier case, a federal judge ruled that Trump “willfully violated federal law” by deploying troops to Los Angeles during immigration protests without state authorization.
For Chicago and Illinois, the new lawsuit represents not just a local fight — but part of a broader legal effort by Democratic-led states to push back against the federalization of domestic law enforcement.
“This is not about public safety,” said one Chicago official involved in the lawsuit. “This is about political control.”
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