The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place a lower court ruling blocking President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Chicago for immigration enforcement efforts. The 6–3 decision keeps federalized troops out of Illinois, while the underlying legal challenge continues. In its unsigned opinion, the court found that the Trump administration failed to show legal authority to use the military for domestic law enforcement in Illinois at this stage of the case. The ruling echoes earlier decisions from lower courts that political opposition and protest activity do not meet the constitutional standard of a ‘rebellion.’
The case stems from the administration’s Chicago-focused immigration operation known as “Operation Midway Blitz,” launched in September. The operation led to an increased federal enforcement presence in Chicago and surrounding suburbs, triggering protests near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Broadview.
In early October, Trump ordered the federalization of 300 Illinois National Guard members over objections from Governor JB Pritzker and also deployed 200 Texas National Guard troops to the Chicago area. A federal district judge quickly issued a temporary restraining order after Guard members were active at the Broadview facility for just one day. That ruling was later upheld by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found no credible evidence of rebellion or insurrection in Illinois. The Supreme Court’s decision now keeps that block in place as the lawsuit proceeds.
While Texas National Guard members and federal Border Patrol agents left the Chicago area in mid-November, the Illinois National Guard remains under federal authority, though officials say the troops have only conducted training exercises. During the enforcement campaign, more than 3,000 arrests were made nationwide of individuals without legal authorization to be in the United States. The court’s decision represents a major setback for the Trump administration and a victory for Illinois leaders challenging the use of federal troops.
