Illinois sues Trump administration over National Guard deployment to Chicago

Illinois has sued the Trump administration to stop the deployment of 700 National Guard troops to Chicago, accusing the president of abusing his power to target political opponents. The state argues the move violates federal law and the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment. Governor JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul say Trump’s actions will worsen tensions, not improve safety. The White House defends the deployment as necessary to protect federal property from “violent riots.”

The Midwestern U.S. state of Illinois, along with its capital city Chicago, filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to block the Trump administration’s plan to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to the area. The legal challenge marks the latest confrontation between the Democratic-led state and President Donald Trump’s administration over the use of federal forces in domestic affairs.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who filed the suit, accused President Trump of misusing military power to settle political scores, alleging that the move was intended “to punish his political enemies.” He argued that such an action not only undermines the rule of law but also threatens the constitutional balance between state and federal authority.

The lawsuit follows Trump’s weekend announcement that he would be sending 700 National Guard soldiers to Chicago, a decision that drew immediate backlash from local leaders and residents. The announcement came just hours after a federal judge ruled that Trump’s earlier deployment of federal troops to the western city of Portland was unlawful, setting a legal precedent that Illinois hopes to rely on in its own case.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics among Democratic governors. Pritzker has consistently rejected the president’s threats to send federal forces into the state, arguing that such actions escalate tensions rather than promote safety. Chicago, a city already grappling with issues of crime and policing, has seen waves of protests opposing both Trump’s policies and the continued presence of federal immigration officers.

During an interview with CNN, Governor Pritzker accused Republicans of attempting to “create the war zone, so that they can send in even more troops,” suggesting that the administration’s approach was politically motivated rather than focused on genuine security concerns.

The White House, however, defended the plan, insisting that the National Guard was needed to protect federal employees and property from what it described as “violent riots” taking place in Chicago. “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson declared, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to restoring order.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also backed the president’s position, describing Chicago as “a war zone” during an interview with Fox News. She argued that federal intervention was necessary to assist overwhelmed local authorities and to safeguard national interests in one of America’s largest cities.

In its legal filing, Illinois contends that the Trump administration’s actions violate the Posse Comitatus Act, a federal law that restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. The state also claims that the deployment breaches the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects the rights of states to govern themselves without federal interference.

The lawsuit further accuses the Trump administration of fabricating a “flimsy pretext” for military intervention. Officials said the administration cited the need to protect an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in a Chicago suburb, where protesters have regularly demonstrated. Illinois authorities maintain that there is no credible threat to justify the use of military force.

In a strongly worded statement, the lawsuit argues that “the American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military—particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor.” The filing asserts that Trump’s approach represents an unprecedented misuse of executive power that endangers democratic norms.

It concludes that “far from promoting public safety in the Chicago region,” Trump’s “provocative and arbitrary actions have threatened to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry.” The state’s leadership insists that true security and order can only be achieved through lawful, cooperative governance—not through intimidation by federal force.