A Democrat-aligned federal judge has issued an order to block President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to protect federal agents from violence in Chicago, Illinois.
U.S. District Judge April Perry, a Joe Biden appointee, temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Illinois as part of ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area.
The activist judge issued a two-week restraining order Thursday, preventing the activation of Guard units in the state.
The Trump administration argued the deployment was necessary to protect federal property, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, which have faced attacks.
Perry, however, claimed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had relied on “unreliable evidence” to justify the move.
In her order, Perry wrote that federalizing the National Guard would “only add fuel to the fire that the defendants themselves have started,” according to NBC News.
Legal Fight Escalates
The ruling bars the administration from ordering the Guard into Illinois until at least October 22, when Perry will determine whether to extend the injunction.
The Justice Department has already appealed.
Illinois Democrat Governor J.B. Pritzker, who has compared the deployment to an “invasion,” celebrated the decision.
“The court confirmed what we all know: There is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
“And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.”
The White House pushed back, saying President Trump is acting well within his constitutional powers.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said:
“President Trump has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets in the face of ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell.
“President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities, and we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also criticized Perry’s reasoning, writing on X:
“A federal judge seems not to know that federal troops come from many different states.
“They are, again, federal troops on a federal protective mission.”
Immigration Crackdown Ongoing
The dispute comes as the Trump administration carries out “Operation Midway Blitz,” a federal immigration enforcement surge in the Chicago area.
DHS says ICE agents have been targeted in multiple car-ramming incidents in recent weeks.
Federal officials maintain that Guard support is necessary to protect agents and facilities from escalating violence.
READ MORE – Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s National Guard Deployment to ‘War-Ravaged Portland’
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