Politics & Government

'Trump's Invasion': Pritzker, State Of IL Suing Over National Guard Deployment

President Donald Trump has ordered 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployments to Illinois.

Gov. JB Pritzker is calling on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to withdraw support for the decision and "refuse to coordinate."
Gov. JB Pritzker is calling on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to withdraw support for the decision and "refuse to coordinate." (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Following Sunday night's announcement that President Donald Trump has ordered 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployment to Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker and the State of Illinois are suing the president. The lawsuit names Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem among the defendants.

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"We must now start calling this what it is: 'Trump's Invasion.' It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops," Pritzker said Sunday night.

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Illinois Attorney General Raoul filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois – Eastern Division. In the lawsuit, Raoul alleges the Trump administration "has exceeded its authority, which permits federalization of a state's National Guard under the following specific, limited circumstances: invasion, rebellion or if the federal government is unable to enforce federal laws."

Raoul said none of these legal requirements exist to justify the federalization and deployment of the National Guard in Illinois.

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Raoul will join Pritzker for a press conference addressing "the Trump administration's efforts to militarize American cities and the current state of federal deployments to Illinois," at 2 p.m. Monday.

On Sunday, a federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops from California and Texas to Oregon.

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According to Pritzker, Trump is ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployments to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations within the United States. The governor said no officials from the federal government "called me directly to discuss or coordinate."

Pritzker is calling on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to withdraw support for the decision and "refuse to coordinate."

In seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the unlawful deployments, Raoul contends a federalized National Guard "will only cause additional unrest and increase the mistrust of police."

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