Supreme Court rules against Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard in Chicago

In an unsigned order issued Tuesday, the court said the government had not demonstrated a legal basis for the deployment at this stage of the case.

“At this preliminary stage, the government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the justices said.

The Trump administration had sought emergency approval to send National Guard forces to the Chicago area, arguing the troops were needed to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducting immigration enforcement operations.

In turn, the court noted that the administration failed to explain why the situation in Illinois justified an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act. The justices said the administration had not shown that federal law permits the president “to federalize the Guard in the exercise of inherent authority to protect federal personnel and property in Illinois.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said President Trump deployed the National Guard to protect federal law enforcement officers and government property as part of a campaign pledge.

“Nothing in today’s ruling detracts from that core agenda. The Administration will continue working day in and day out to safeguard the American public,” she said in a statement.

The ruling marks the first time the Supreme Court has weighed in on the administration’s controversial efforts to deploy National Guard troops in connection with immigration enforcement operations.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that a US federal judge had ordered the Trump administration to submit a plan outlining further action regarding Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador.