Illinois sues Trump admin to block plan to deploy federalised troops to Chicago

Illinois filed a lawsuit on Monday to prevent the Trump administration from deploying federalised National Guard troops to Chicago.

The move comes amid protests over Trump’s immigration crackdown and follows a judge in Portland issuing an emergency order blocking a similar deployment there.

“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 favour,” the Illinois Attorney General’s Office said in the filing.

The lawsuit, which names President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, argues that the administration’s actions have caused “serious and irreparable harm” to Illinois.

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The decision to deploy troops to Illinois is the latest example of Trump’s expanded use of the U.S. military during his second term. He has already sent troops to the U.S. border and ordered them to target suspected drug traffickers off the coast of Venezuela.

National Guard units have also been deployed to Los Angeles and Washington DC, and Trump has indicated he plans to send them to other cities, including Portland, despite objections from local officials.