Illinois has filed a lawsuit seeking to block US President, Donald Trump from deploying hundreds of federalized national guard troops into the streets of Chicago.
The Democratic-led state filed the lawsuit hours after a federal judge temporarily blocked
the Trump administration from sending any national guard troops to police Portland.
US District Judge Karin Immergut on Sunday, October 5, 2025, granted a temporary restraining order sought by Oregon and California to block the deployment of guard troops from those states to the city.
The lawsuit took aim at a decision by the Trump administration over the weekend to federalize up to 300 members of the Illinois national guard over the objections of Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker and another 400 from Texas to deploy into Chicago.
The Trump administration has portrayed the cities as war-ravaged and lawless amid the government’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Officials in Illinois and Oregon say that military intervention isn’t needed and that federal involvement is inflaming the situation.
According to the lawsuit, “These advances in President Trump’s long-declared ‘War’ on Chicago and Illinois are unlawful and dangerous.”
“The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a President’s favor.”
Illinois’ lawsuit
According to Illinois’ lawsuit, Trump is deploying the military to Illinois based on a “flimsy pretext” that alleges an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in a suburb of Chicago needs protecting as protests outside the building over Trump’s immigration crackdown continue.
The state argued that the Trump administration as a result cannot satisfy the legal prerequisites to allow it to federalize national guard troops without Governor JB Pritzker’s blessing and is violating the Posse Comitatus Act, a federal law which sharply limits the use of the military for domestic enforcement.
The lawsuit also argued that Trump’s actions violate the US constitution’s 10th amendment, which protects states’ rights, by usurping Pritzker’s role as the commander-in-chief of the national guard in Illinois and by infringing on the state’s authority over local law enforcement.
Pritzker said that the potential deployment amounted to “Trump’s invasion,” and he called on Republican Texas Governor, Greg Abbott to block it.
However, Abbott pushed back and said that the crackdown was needed to protect federal workers who are in the city as part of the President’s increased immigration enforcement.
Protesters have frequently rallied near an immigration facility outside the city, and federal officials reported the arrests of 13 protesters on Friday near a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Broadview.
White House Spokesperson, Abigail Jackson confirmed in a weekend statement that Trump authorized using Illinois National Guard members, citing what she called “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” that local leaders have not quelled.
Chicago Mayor Signs Executive Order
Separately, Chicago Mayor, Brandon Johnson said that he signed an executive order barring federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned and city-controlled property, such as parking lots, garages and vacant lots, as staging areas for enforcement operations.
“Our school parking lots are not for ICE to load their weapons. They are for Chicago, who drop their kids off to learn.
“Our libraries are not for ICE to prepare for a raid. They’re for Chicagoans to read and relax. Our Parks are not for ICE to set up checkpoints. They’re for Chicagoans to play and enjoy.”
Brandon Johnson
Additionally, the order supports private property owners, tenants and institutions to deny access to ICE and other federal agents working on immigration enforcement unless they can produce a warrant.
The Mayor’s office said that participation by private entities is voluntary but encouraged.
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