A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying troops in Illinois
The judge's order officially took effect on Thursday and will remain in place for two weeks, as she stated in a statement that she had seen no evidence of a danger of rebellion in the state.
Members of the U.S. National Guard.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge April Perry temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from federalizing or deploying the National Guard to the state of Illinois, after the Republican leader ordered hundreds of troops to Chicago, not only to fight crime in the city, but also to collaborate on immigration enforcement.
Perry issued his decision directly from the courtroom, after nearly three hours of arguments presented by lawyers for the state of Illinois and the federal government. The judge's order officially went into effect this Thursday and will remain in effect for two weeks, after she assured in a statement that she had seen no evidence of a danger of rebellion in the state, which has been one of the Trump administration's arguments to justify the deployment.
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Trump administration's response
During the hearing, Department of Justice attorney Eric Hamilton explained that Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard to Chicago was justified, as the city was plagued by "tragic lawlessness." Similarly, Hamilton added that "Chicago is seeing a brazen new form of hostility from rioters targeting federal law enforcement. They’re not protesters. There is enough that there is a danger of a rebellion here, which there is."
Following Perry's ruling, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson assured that Trump has "exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets" and "will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities." Jackson also explained that the Republican administration will appeal the decision.
Democratic reactions
Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker commented in a statement that the final decision was a clear sign that the administration was not above the law, adding that the National Guard had no place in cities across the country. "Donald Trump is not a king, and his administration is not above the law. Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois. And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago."
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