On Friday, NZT U.S. District Judge April M. Perry blocked Trump’s effort to send troops to and around Chicago, concluding it was “likely to lead to civil unrest.”
Illinois officials disputed the deployment, saying the Trump administration was illegally taking control of the state’s National Guard.
The deployment of Texas National Guard troops to the Chicago area was also a “serious intrusion on Illinois sovereignty,” Illinois officials wrote in court documents.
Perry, appointed by President Joe Biden, blocked the troop deployment. She described a “lack of credibility” in statements made by federal authorities in the case.
In a written order issued the next day, Perry said he also noticed “a concerning trend” in statements “equating protests with riots.”
The Defense Department declined to comment on the appeals court order. The White House, Department of Homeland Security and officials in Illinois and Chicago did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In early September, the Trump administration launched an immigration enforcement mission in Chicago dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.” This sparked ongoing protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago.
Federal agents repeatedly fired tear gas and other projectiles into crowds.
The Trump administration said in court filings that authorities found “continuous and sustained attacks” in Chicago and said the deployment of troops was necessary to help protect federal personnel and property.
The Trump administration appealed Perry’s decision, writing that she “largely ignored the facts on the ground” and “impermissibly second-guessed the military judgments of the Commander in Chief.” The Justice Department asked the 7th Circuit to stay Perry’s order while she appeals.
Officials representing Illinois and Chicago said Perry’s “order was correct, appropriate and should not be suspended pending appeal.”
They said Perry was right to conclude there was no credible evidence showing the troops were necessary to allow the Trump administration to enforce federal law.
Perry’s decision came days after U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut in Oregon also blocked Trump from sending troops to Portland, another city where his administration tried to send the National Guard, despite objections from local and state authorities.
Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, wrote in her decision that her conclusion that troops were needed in Portland “was simply independent of the facts.”
The Trump administration appealed its decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has not yet issued a ruling.
Subscribe to Herald Premium Editor’s Picksdelivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Subscribe to Herald Premium here.
Leave a Reply