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Judge Blocks National Guard from Chicago — For Now

Posted on October 9, 2025
Emily Mack

Emily Mack

National Guard troops from Texas assembled recently at a training center near Joliet (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

National Guard troops from Texas assembled recently at a training center near Joliet (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago. U.S. District Judge April Perry initially said she was granting the restraining order in part, but a written ruling will be issued Friday.

Earlier this week, Chicago and Illinois sued the Trump administration after the president authorized the federalization of troops from Illinois and Texas.

While the feds argued that protests against immigration enforcement amounted to “rebellion,” lawyers for the state said mobilizing the National Guard infringes on Illinois’ sovereignty.

"I have found no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion in the state of Illinois," Perry, a Biden appointee, said in an oral ruling Thursday, adding that the Department of Homeland Security’s perception of events is “simply unreliable."

Perry also said allowing troops to come into Chicago "will only add fuel to the fire” — a fire she said the defendants started, according to Sun-Times and Tribune reporters who were there.

👀 Stay tuned in Hey Chicago for what this blocking might look like.

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