The US Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration cannot deploy National Guard troops to Chicago to address violence during federal immigration raids. The 6-3 decision came after pushback from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who argued that local forces were sufficient. The ruling focuses on the lack of federal authority to use military in the state.
The Supreme Court issued its decision on Tuesday, blocking the Trump administration's attempt to send National Guard troops to quell unrest in Chicago amid ongoing federal immigration enforcement operations. The administration had sought the court's intervention following a lower court's rejection of the deployment plan.
The case stemmed from "Operation Midway Blitz," launched by federal immigration agents in September. Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol were deployed to Illinois, where they encountered violence, including threats and bounties placed on their heads by Mexican cartels. Protests erupted almost weekly outside the Broadview ICE facility during the operation's peak. Despite the challenges, officials reported approximately 1,500 arrests as part of the crackdown.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, strongly opposed the federalization of 300 National Guard soldiers announced in October. "I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois. State, county, and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights. I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people," Pritzker stated.
The court's unsigned order, as reported by CNN, emphasized: "At this preliminary stage, the government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois." The 6-3 ruling turned on whether local "regular forces" could handle the situation in Chicago. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch dissented.
This decision highlights tensions between federal immigration policies and state resistance, particularly in Democratic-led areas facing enforcement actions.
