USA Dispute over National Guard in Chicago about to escalate
The dispute between US President Donald Trump's administration and the Democratic-ruled state of Illinois over the deployment of the National Guard in Chicago is threatening to escalate. Several media outlets reported, citing the White House, that US President Donald Trump had ordered 300 members of the National Guard in Illinois to protect federal officials and property. Illinois and city leaders are opposed to such a deployment. It remained unclear when exactly the deployment would begin.
05.10.2025, 06:53
05.10.2025, 06:54
SDA
The Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, together with the city leadership of Chicago, has been opposing a military deployment in the city of millions for weeks. The protests and riots are under control - military intervention is not necessary, Trump's Democratic opponents constantly emphasize. In Chicago, people have been protesting for weeks against raids by the ICE immigration authorities. Trump justifies the deployment of the National Guard in the cities by saying he wants to tackle rampant crime.
Trump had put pressure on Pritzker
Trump had repeatedly brought a military deployment in Chicago into play. Until now, he had put pressure on Governor Pritzker to ask him for the deployment. Pritzker, on the other hand, accused Trump of trying to intimidate political rivals.
In the USA, the governors of a state normally have control over the National Guard. In the event of war or national emergencies, the US President can take command. The National Guard is a military reserve unit and part of the US armed forces. It can be deployed in the event of natural disasters, unrest or domestic emergencies.
Court order on Portland
Just a few hours earlier, Trump had suffered a defeat in court. Following a court order, he is not allowed to send the military to Portland in the US state of Oregon for the time being. In a temporary injunction, a court in Oregon initially prohibited the government from placing the National Guard in the state under federal control and deploying it in Portland until October 18.
This is another setback for Trump. A court in California recently prohibited the US government from deploying soldiers in Los Angeles for civilian law enforcement.
Oregon refers to sovereign authority
Around a week ago, the city of Portland and the US state of Oregon filed a lawsuit against Trump's announced military deployment in the city. According to the statement of claim, this is unlawful. The state of Oregon refers to its sovereign authority to manage its own law enforcement and the National Guard.
Trump repeatedly emphasizes that fighting crime on the streets is an important goal - and sends soldiers to cities governed by Democrats. He has also deployed soldiers to contain protests against raids by the ICE immigration authorities.
Critics accuse him of using the National Guard to put on a show and intimidate political opponents. It is feared that the mood in the cities could heat up in view of ongoing ICE raids.
Trump had already sent soldiers to Los Angeles months ago with the aim of pushing back protests against ICE raids. Weeks ago, the US president also ordered the deployment of the National Guard in the US capital Washington - but there to curb what he saw as rampant crime.
