CHICAGO – The state of Illinois filed a lawsuit on Monday to stop U.S. President Donald Trump from deploying hundreds of federalized National Guard troops into Chicago, calling the move unlawful and unconstitutional.
The lawsuit, jointly filed by the Illinois government and the city of Chicago, came hours after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily barred the Trump administration from sending troops to Portland.
The complaint accuses Trump of federalizing 300 Illinois National Guard members and 400 from Texas under a “flimsy pretext” of protecting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility amid ongoing protests.
Governor J.B. Pritzker argued the deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts military involvement in domestic law enforcement, and breaches the 10th Amendment, which reserves powers to the states. The White House has not commented on the suit.
The move marks Trump’s latest use of military power in domestic affairs, following previous deployments to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and along the U.S.-Mexico border despite opposition from Democratic-led states.
