Supreme Court Denies Trump Administration's Military Troop Deployment in Chicago

Wed Dec 24 2025 00:21:24 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a setback for President Trump, the Supreme Court has blocked the administration's effort to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago to support immigration enforcement, following a ruling by a lower court citing a lack of evidence for potential violence.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined the Trump administration's request to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago to assist in immigration enforcement. This decision upholds a lower court's ruling that found no substantial evidence of a rising rebellion or significant obstacles to immigration laws in the area. The dissenting opinions from several justices signal internal divisions, while this ruling may set a precedent for similar cases across the nation as the administration continues to face legal challenges in other states regarding troop deployments. The administration initially aimed to use the troops for protecting federal properties amid immigration protests, yet the ruling indicates a growing scrutiny of the militarization of immigration enforcement.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area as part of its immigration enforcement strategy.

The decision comes after the U.S. District Court ruling by Judge April Perry, which blocked the troop deployment. The Supreme Court justices took more than two months to deliberate on the case and ultimately declined to overturn the lower court’s decision.

In a rare defeat for Trump, three justices dissented publicly, signaling a fracturing among the conservative justices. While this order is not final, it could influence other lawsuits regarding military deployments in Democratic-led cities, bringing further scrutiny on Trump's immigration policies.

The administration claimed that the troops were necessary to protect federal personnel and property from potential protests against the enforcement of federal immigration laws. However, Judge Perry ruled that there was no significant evidence to suggest a rising threat of rebellion in Illinois, particularly in myriads of tense yet peaceful protests.

The request initially included the deployment of around 200 National Guard troops from Texas and Illinois, but the troop originally sent from Texas was recently ordered back home. Recent protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, a Chicago suburb, were notable for their tension, with past incidents of federal officers utilizing tear gas on demonstrators.

This ruling is part of a larger pattern of legal battles surrounding the deployment of National Guard soldiers to assist federal immigration efforts, including cases in Washington, D.C., and California. These battles emphasize the contentious intersection of state rights and federal immigration enforcement policies under the Trump administration.

As legal challenges continue to mount across states, it remains to be seen how these decisions will shape future policies regarding military involvement in domestic law enforcement matters.