US state of Illinois, Chicago to halt Trump's deployment of National Guard

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US state of Illinois and its most populous city sued the federal government Monday in a bid to block US President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard to Chicago.

"Defendants’ deployment of federalized troops to Illinois is patently unlawful. Plaintiffs ask this court to halt the illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional federalization of members of the National Guard of the United States, including both the Illinois and Texas National Guard," the suit filed by state Attorney General Kwame Raoul in the Northern District of Illinois says.

"The Trump administration’s illegal actions have already subjected and are subjecting Illinois to serious and irreparable harm. The deployment of federalized National Guard, including from another state, infringes on Illinois’s sovereignty and right to self-governance. It will cause only more unrest, including harming social fabric and community relations and increasing the mistrust of police," it adds.

Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, Mary Richardson-Lowry, joined the suit. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The filing is just the latest effort by Democratic-led states and cities to fight Trump's deployment of National Guardsmen to the streets of major American cities.

Trump previously sent the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, and is in the process of doing so in Memphis, Tennessee. He also deployed the Marines to Los Angeles to quell unrest caused by his immigration crackdown in June.

Trump is now seeking to deploy nearly 300 California National Guard troops to Oregon and an additional 400 Texas National Guard members to Illinois, Oregon, and other states.