Trump Asks Supreme Court To Allow National Guard’s Illinois Deployment

Topline

The Trump administration urged the Supreme Court on Friday to allow the deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois to support controversial ICE raids, fight crime, and protect federal property in the Chicago area, Illinois, asking the high court to freeze a lower court’s ruling currently blocking the deployment.

The request from the Trump administration was filed Friday. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

The administration filed an emergency stay request to pause District Court Judge April Perry’s ruling, which was made on Oct. 9 and barred the National Guard deployment for two weeks.

Perry issued her order after rejecting the Trump administration’s argument that a rebellion was taking place in Illinois, saying evidence presented in court showed the National Guard’s deployment may lead to “civil unrest” and will “only add fuel to the fire.”

An appeals court backed Perry’s order Thursday, saying “the facts do not justify” the National Guard’s deployment to protect ICE personnel and facilities, which have sparked protests.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in Friday’s emergency request to the Supreme Court that federal agents in Chicago have been “threatened and assaulted” and attacked in a “pre-planned ambush.”

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Contra

While the Trump administration has argued for National Guard support of federal agents and facilities in Chicago, Judge Sara L. Ellis on Thursday expanded a temporary restraining order that placed limits on the use of riot control weapons in the Chicago area. Ellis said she was “deeply concerned” with violations of the order, which requires federal agents to provide two warnings before using riot control weapons like tear gas, expanding her order to require federal agents to also wear body cameras. Ellis’ decision came after clashes between protesters and ICE personnel throughout multiple parts of the Chicago area.

Key Background

The Trump administration has hit several legal hurdles in its efforts to have the National Guard support ICE or crimefighting operations in multiple states, most of which are governed by Democrats. A federal appeals court allowed President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops in Los Angeles this summer amid anti-ICE protests, ruling against Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., who blasted Trump for not asking for permission for the deployment. The Trump administration is appealing a ruling that declared the deployment in Los Angeles illegal. The National Guard was also sent to Portland, Oregon, this month, but a lower court order blocking troops from hitting the streets was extended Wednesday for an additional two weeks. The president has had better luck deploying the National Guard in Washington, D.C., which lacks statehood. The city has sued the Trump administration in an ongoing lawsuit while around 900 National Guard troops remain active.