Judge Won't Block Troop Deployment to Chicago

A federal judge on Monday denied immediately issuing a restraining order against the deployment of National Guard troops after the State of Illinois and City of Chicago sued President Donald Trump and other administration officials over what Gov. JB Pritzker called an “unconstitutional invasion” of the state.

Judge April Perry ruled that she would not block the deployment of troops from Illinois and Texas at this time, stating that she needed lengthy court filings. Perry gave the Department of Justice until midnight on Wednesday to respond to the lawsuit which was filed on Monday morning.

Oral arguments in the matter will be held on Thursday. Attorneys representing the federal government told the judge that National Guard troops could be arriving as early as Monday and could be in position for their assignment as early as Tuesday.

A phone message left for the Illinois National Guard and an email sent to a spokesperson for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott from NewsNation was not immediately returned on Monday.

The lawsuit names Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others as defendants. Also named in the lawsuit are Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Daniel Driscoll, Secretary of the Army.

“Let me be clear: Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,” Pritzker said at a news conference on Monday.

He added: “This escalation of violence is targeted, intentional and premeditated.”

Hegseth called for the federalization of up to 300 Illinois National Guard troops, and on Sunday called for another 400 members of the Texas National Guard to also be sent to Chicago.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson confirmed that Trump was planning on federalizing the National Guard troops for deployment to Chicago. She told the Associated Press that “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” is ongoing in Chicago that local leaders have not addressed.

“President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” Jackson said.

On Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump from deploying 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland as a lawsuit seeking to keep troops from being sent to deal with anti-ICE protests is heard.

Despite Monday’s ruling, Pritzker said the state will use “every lever at our disposal” to resist the federal government’s power grab and “get Noem’s thugs the hell out of Chicago.”

He added: “I’m not afraid and I won’t back down.”

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said there is “no need or justification “for a militarized response to Chicago, calling it unfair to National Guard troops, local law enforcement and to law-abiding citizens of Illinois.

Raoul characterized the actions of “certain” federal immigration agents, which he called “shocking overreach in an attempt to create a crisis.

“This is not about an emergency,” Raoul said. “This is a political targeting ultilizing our military.”

Chicago Mayor issues executive order related to recent ICE activity

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued his third executive order related to the presence of federal officers during a news conference on Monday.

The “ICE Free Zone” creates clear mechanisms to prohibit federal immigration officers and agents from using any city-owned property” as part of Operation Midway Blitz, which began on Sept. 8. The new order builds on Johnson’s “Protecting Chicago” initiative, which invites local businesses and community organizations to collaborate with elected officials to safeguard Chicago communities.

DHS officials announced last week that the agency has made more than 1,000 arrests during the multi-agency operation, which has sparked protests around Chicago and near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in suburban Broadview.

On Monday, Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson signed an executive order that limits the time that demonstrators can protest in a designated protest zone between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Last week, Trump pledged to use “dangerous cities” like Chicago as “training grounds” for the U.S. military, which could include the National Guard.

“We do not need or want the National Guard to police our streets,” Johnson said Monday.

Last week, 300 federal agents and officers raided an apartment building in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, where DHS said 37 people had been taken into custody. Among those detained were two suspected members of the Tren de Aragua prison gang, officials said.

“We will not tolerate ICE agents violating our residents’ constitutional rights, nor will we allow the federal government to disregard our local authority. ICE agents are detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents. We will not stand for that in our city,” Johnson said in a statement issued by his office.

Under the order, city departments and agencies are directed to implement the executive order within five days. This could include, but is not limited to, ensuring that, wherever possible, physical barriers such as locked gates are used to limit access to City property for the purpose of federal immigration enforcement.