Judge Denies Immediate Block on Trump's National Guard Deployment to Chicago as Texas Troops Mobilize

U.S. District Judge April Perry, appointed by President Joe Biden, denied a temporary restraining order Tuesday to halt President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois, scheduling a full hearing for Thursday while allowing the operation to proceed amid escalating threats to federal agents in Chicago.

The ruling came hours after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Chicago officials filed suit, arguing the federalization of up to 400 Texas National Guard members violated state sovereignty and the 10th Amendment. Perry found insufficient grounds for immediate intervention, stating the claims required further briefing.

President Trump issued the order Sunday, directing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to mobilize the troops at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's request to safeguard ICE personnel and facilities from "violent Antifa terrorists and other radical far-left groups." The move follows over 50 assaults on federal agents in Illinois since August, including a September 28 van ramming in Cicero injuring two officers and a October 4 vehicle encirclement in Broadview prompting defensive shots.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott swiftly authorized the full contingent, announcing Monday that 2,000 National Guard members would deploy to Chicago to "ensure safety for federal officials." "You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let Texas Guard do it," Abbott said. The first 400 troops, already en route, arrived at Chicago-area staging points Tuesday evening, per U.S. Northern Command, with the remainder mobilizing by week's end.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker denounced the action as an "authoritarian march," vowing resistance: "Military troops should not be used against American communities." Raoul echoed: "Defendants’ deployment of federalized troops to Illinois is patently unlawful." The suit seeks a permanent injunction, citing no "rebellion or inability to execute laws" under 10 U.S.C. § 12406 justifying federalization.

The deployment aligns with Trump's September 30 memorandum expanding Guard activations to Democratic-led cities like Chicago, where sanctuary policies under Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson have led to 70% non-prosecution rates for federal interference cases, per DHS data. Operation Midway Blitz, launched August 2025, has yielded 1,200 arrests statewide, but local non-cooperation has heightened risks, including a $10,000 bounty on a CBP officer charged Monday against Latin Kings leader Juan Espinoza Martinez.