Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow National Guard deployment in Chicago area

BROADVIEW, Ill. -- The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to allow the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago area, escalating President Donald Trump's conflict with Democratic governors over using the military on U.S. soil.

The emergency appeal to the high court came after a judge prevented, for at least two weeks, the deployment of Guard members from Illinois and Texas to assist immigration enforcement. A federal appeals court refused to put the judge's order on hold.

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The conservative-dominated court has handed Trump repeated victories in emergency appeals since he took office in January, after lower courts have ruled against him and often over the objection of the three liberal justices. The court has allowed Trump to ban transgender people from the military, claw back billions of dollars of congressionally approved federal spending, move aggressively against immigrants and fire the presidentially appointed leaders of independent federal agencies,

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In the dispute over the Guard, U.S. District Judge April Perry said she found no substantial evidence that a "danger of rebellion" is brewing in Illinois during Trump's immigration crackdown. The Guard is restricted until at least next Friday.

But Solicitor General D. John Sauer, Trump's top Supreme Court lawyer, urged the justices to step in immediately. Perry's order, Sauer wrote, "impinges on the President's authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property."

Former federal prosecutor Chris Hotaling weighed in as the nation waits to see if the Supreme Court plans to hear the emergency motion.

"If the Supreme Court were to rule that President Trump has the power under federal law to deploy the National Guard, we could see National Guard troops on the ground in Chicago in about a month," Hotaling said. "So, regardless of what Judge Perry said here in Chicago, the Supreme Court can do whatever it wants."

Last week, the Guard arrived at the Broadview immigration facility on Thursday. Troops could be seen walking around and lingering near the facility.

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Gov. JB Pritzker said in a post on X, "Donald Trump will keep trying to invade Illinois with troops - and we will keep defending the sovereignty of our state. Militarizing our communities against their will is not only un-American but also leads us down a dangerous path for our democracy. What will come next?"

The city/state must respond to the appeal by 4 p.m. Monday.

A federal judge in Oregon also has temporarily blocked the deployment of National Guard troops there.

Guard troops from several states also are patrolling the nation's capital and Memphis, Tennessee.

In a California case, a judge in September said the deployment was illegal. By that point, just 300 of the thousands of troops sent there remained and the judge did not order them to leave.

ABC7 Chicago's Tre Ward contributed to this report.