A federal appeals court decided on Saturday that while National Guard troops sent to Illinois by President Donald Trump can stay in the state under federal authority, they aren’t allowed to be deployed for now.
Court Grants Interim Stay Pending Arguments
With the ruling putting things on hold as the legal case continues, National Guard troops sent to Illinois by Trump can remain in the state under federal control but are barred from protecting federal property or conducting patrols, according to The Guardian.
U.S. District Judge April Perry ruled on Thursday to block their deployment for two weeks, finding no substantial evidence of a ‘danger of rebellion' in Illinois, even as immigration enforcement operations continue in major cities.
Judge Rules Administration Violated Constitutional Amendments
According to reports, Judge Perry ruled that the Trump administration violated the 10th Amendment, which protects state powers, and the 14th Amendment's due process clause by ordering National Guard troops to Chicago.
In her Friday order, Perry stated: “Not even the Founding Father most ardently in favor of a strong federal government believed that one state’s militia could be sent to another state for the purposes of political retribution.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said, “The court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.”
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Earlier, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the deployment an ‘outrageous assault on Illinois and Oregon,’ invoking states’ rights principles and urging Americans to speak up.
Senators Denied ICE Facility Access
On Friday, Democratic Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said they were denied entry to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago.
"We just wanted to tour the facility, but they wouldn't let us in. It's shameful," Duckworth told NBC News. Durbin added, "I've never experienced this kind of stonewalling from any presidential administration before.
Multi-City Deployment Faces Legal Challenges
Trump has either sent or talked about sending troops to Baltimore, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Lt. Cmdr. Teresa Meadows said that troops deployed to Portland and Chicago are "not carrying out any operational activities." Meanwhile, federal courts in Illinois and Oregon have blocked these deployments this week.
In recent days, Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski have voiced concerns about the troop deployments, with Murkowski describing them as ‘unprecedented' and cautioning that they open a ‘dangerous new realm.'
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