(MENAFN) The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago have filed a lawsuit against the US federal government in an effort to stop President Donald Trump’s plan to send National Guard troops into the city.

“Defendants’ deployment of federalized troops to Illinois is patently unlawful. Plaintiffs ask this court to halt the illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional federalization of members of the National Guard of the United States, including both the Illinois and Texas National Guard,” the lawsuit stated, according to official filings in the Northern District of Illinois.

It further argued that “the Trump administration’s illegal actions have already subjected and are subjecting Illinois to serious and irreparable harm. The deployment of federalized National Guard, including from another state, infringes on Illinois’s sovereignty and right to self-governance. It will cause only more unrest, including harming social fabric and community relations and increasing the mistrust of police.”

Chicago’s legal counsel joined the case, which accuses the federal government of overstepping its authority and threatening state sovereignty.

The White House rejected the claims, maintaining that Trump “has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets” amid what it described as “violent riots and lawlessness.” A spokesperson added, “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”

Critics have accused the administration of overstating the extent of violence in US cities—many of them governed by Black Democrats—while dismissing official data showing that crime has declined. The administration has denounced those statistics as fabricated.

The lawsuit marks the latest challenge by Democratic-led states and cities against the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard units in urban areas. Trump has previously ordered Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, DC, and is reportedly taking similar steps in Memphis, Tennessee.

In addition, the president has sought to deploy about 300 California National Guard soldiers to Oregon and another 400 Texas National Guard members to Illinois, Oregon, and other states.

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