(MENAFN) The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit Monday against the federal government, aiming to stop US President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops to the region.

According to the filing submitted by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in the Northern District of Illinois, "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 argues 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 top legal official, Mary Richardson-Lowry, joined the case on behalf of the city.
The White House dismissed the lawsuit, asserting that Trump “has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets” in response to what it described as “violent riots and lawlessness.”

“President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

According to reports, the Trump administration has been accused of overstating crime rates in predominantly Democratic-led cities — many governed by Black leaders — to justify deploying federal troops. Officials have also been criticized for dismissing data showing crime rates had fallen in several of these cities, labeling the numbers as “fake.”

This legal challenge represents the latest in a series of efforts by Democratic-controlled states and municipalities to oppose Trump’s decision to send National Guard forces into major urban centers.

Trump has previously deployed troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and has begun similar actions in Memphis, Tennessee. Earlier in June, Marines were sent to Los Angeles in response to unrest tied to his immigration policies.

Currently, the administration is seeking to send nearly 300 members of the California National Guard to Oregon and an additional 400 troops from Texas to Illinois, Oregon, and other states.

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