Appeals Court upholds ban to deploy Guard to Chicago!
Washington, US, Oct 11 (EFE).-
A United States federal appeals court on Saturday upheld the ban on deploying the National Guard in Chicago, an order issued by United States President Donald Trump, but allowed the troops to remain under federal control while legal proceedings continue.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Guard units, sent from Texas, can stay in Illinois while the original lawsuit, filed by state and city Democratic leaders, is resolved in a lower court.
The ruling came less than two days after Judge April M. Perry temporarily blocked the deployment, arguing that there was no “credible evidence” of rebellion or unrest to justify it.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) had used the alleged risk of rebellion to defend the president’s decision.
“The administration failed to present sufficient proof of imminent threat to public order,” the court’s opinion stated.
Illinois Governor praises the decision
Following the ruling, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Donald Trump is not a king, and his administration is not above the law. Today, a court confirmed what we already knew.”
The court’s decision marks another legal setback for Trump, whose federal intervention in Democratic-led states has drawn widespread criticism.
The president’s allies, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have defended the move as necessary to “restore security” amid what they call “local leadership failures.”
Immigration raids fuel tensions in Chicago
The standoff between the White House and Chicago officials has intensified since the launch of Operation Midway Blitz, a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiative that began last month targeting mass detentions and deportations of migrants.
The raids have led to the arrest of dozens of Latino residents, according to local reports, and sparked growing public protests.
On Saturday, Border Patrol agents opened fire during a demonstration in the South Side area, injuring a US citizen.
Despite the federal government’s claims of rising violence, official data from the Chicago Police Department shows a 28% drop in homicides compared to the same period last year, and nearly 50% fewer murders than four years ago.
Civil rights groups and local leaders have vowed to continue challenging the deployment in court, calling it an “unconstitutional overreach of federal power.” EFE
aaca/seo
