US Court Denies Trump's National Guard Request for Chicago

A US appeals court has denied President Donald Trump’s request to lift a lower court's ban on deploying the National Guard in Chicago. The ruling came on Thursday, following Trump's order to send hundreds of National Guard troops to the city, which he claimed was necessary to address crime and protect immigration agents and facilities in the area.

The three-judge panel concluded that the administration did not provide sufficient evidence to justify the troop deployment in Illinois. The court stated, "Even after affording great deference to the president's evaluation of the circumstances, we see insufficient evidence of a rebellion or danger of rebellion in Illinois." They noted that the protests against federal immigration policies, while spirited and at times violent, did not constitute a threat to government authority.

The court emphasized that the administration remains prohibited from deploying the National Guard in Illinois. This legal action was initiated by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, aiming to prevent the deployment. Similar strategies have been employed by authorities in Oregon to stop the National Guard from being sent to Portland.

Illinois and Oregon are not alone in challenging the Trump administration's use of the National Guard for domestic purposes. Earlier this year, California also filed a lawsuit after troops were dispatched to Los Angeles to manage protests related to a federal crackdown on undocumented migrants. While a district court judge ruled that the deployment was unlawful, an appeals court allowed it to proceed. This ongoing legal battle highlights the tensions between state authorities and the federal government regarding the use of military resources in domestic situations.