On Monday, Illinois initiated a lawsuit aimed at preventing the Trump administration from sending federalized National Guard troops to Chicago.
This action arises in the context of protests against Trump’s immigration policies and follows a judge in Portland issuing an emergency order to halt a similar deployment there.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office stated in the filing, “The American people, regardless of their location, should not have to endure the threat of military occupation by the United States, especially not merely because their city or state leadership has fallen out of favor with the president.”
The lawsuit names President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, contending that the administration’s actions have inflicted “serious and irreparable harm” upon Illinois.
The decision to send troops to Illinois exemplifies Trump’s increased utilization of the U.S. military during his second term. He has previously dispatched troops to the U.S. border and directed them to target alleged drug traffickers off the coast of Venezuela.
Additionally, National Guard units have been deployed to Los Angeles and Washington DC, with Trump indicating plans to send them to other cities, including Portland, despite local officials’ objections.
