Federal Judge Avoids Blocking National Guard Deployment in Illinois

President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his confrontation with local Democratic authorities by threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, an 1807 federal rule that would grant him emergency powers to deploy troops to the cities of Illinois, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon, thus circumventing possible judicial roadblocks. The move comes amid growing protests against federal immigration policies and a spike in street violence.

A federal judge avoided blocking the deployment of National Guard units in Illinois, allowing 200 Guard troops from Texas to move into the Chicago area, where they are expected to arrive tomorrow or Wednesday, according to the New York Times.

For his part, the Democratic governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, denounced the action as an “unconstitutional invasion" by the federal government and announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration. “Their plan all along has been to cause chaos, and then they can use that chaos to consolidate Donald Trump's power," Pritzker warned at a press conference.

In addition, on his X account, the governor noted, "Illinois will not let the Trump Administration continue on its authoritarian march without resisting. We will use every lever at our disposal to stop this power grab because military troops should not be used against American communities."

In Portland, a similar effort to send in Texas troops was temporarily halted by a court order issued Sunday night. However, the administration appealed to a higher federal court to allow troops to be sent from California or Texas, arguing that the protests represent an "insurrection" against the federal government.

However, local officials in Oregon and Portland have called these accusations exaggerated, stressing that the demonstrations, while sometimes tense, do not constitute an overthrow of order.