A federal courtroom in Chicago became the latest battleground in Donald Trump’s widening campaign to send National Guard troops into U.S. cities. On Thursday, Judge April Perry drew a sharp line, blocking the deployment of hundreds of Guard soldiers to Illinois—calling it a move that would only “add fuel to the fire” rather than calm it.
The decision comes just days after a separate court froze a similar deployment in Portland, Oregon, signaling growing judicial skepticism toward Trump’s aggressive use of federal troops in Democrat-led states.
In a two-hour hearing, government attorneys insisted the troops were needed to protect federal buildings and personnel from protest-related threats. Illinois, however, argued that the supposed violence was exaggerated, describing the demonstrations near an immigration detention facility in Broadview as small and largely peaceful.
Judge Perry appeared unconvinced by the government’s portrayal of chaos. Citing reports of excessive force by federal officers at the same facility, she said the unrest seemed to have been sparked by the authorities themselves. Deploying troops, she concluded, would inflame tensions the administration had helped ignite. Her order will stand until at least October 23.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker swiftly praised the ruling, declaring that “Donald Trump is not a king—and his administration is not above the law.” He added that there was “no credible evidence of a rebellion in Illinois” that could justify a military presence in its streets.
The White House signaled it would appeal, asserting that Trump “will not turn a blind eye to lawlessness” and predicting victory in a higher court.
The Illinois ruling coincided with a hearing in San Francisco, where a federal appeals panel appeared divided on whether to uphold or overturn the block on Trump’s Portland deployment. The president, meanwhile, has vowed to continue expanding his troop initiative, saying, “We’re in Memphis. We’re going to Chicago. We’re going to other cities.”
Trump’s approach—sending troops into cities led by political rivals—has pushed the boundaries of presidential authority over domestic deployments. Under federal law, the National Guard typically operates under governors’ control and is meant for disaster response, not civilian policing.
Nevertheless, Trump has portrayed the effort as a stand against what he calls “left-wing domestic terrorism,” invoking the loosely organized Antifa movement as justification. Courts across the country are now wrestling with how far a president can go in deploying military power within U.S. borders—an issue that may soon find its way to the Supreme Court.
