Illinois National Guard troops can stay under federal control, cannot be deployed, says court

ISTANBUL

A federal appeals court ruled Saturday that National Guard troops in Illinois can stay under federal control but cannot be deployed while the appeals process plays out between the Trump administration and the state, CNN reported.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to temporarily suspend part of a lower court's ruling earlier this week that blocked the deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois for two weeks.

The ruling is part of a broader legal battle over whether US President Donald Trump is overstepping his authority by sending troops to disperse protests outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities in Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Portland, Oregon.

“Members of the National Guard do not need to return to their home states unless further ordered by a court to do so,” said the ruling.

Troops in the Chicago region are currently involved in "planning and training," but are "not conducting any operational activities at this time,” according to a Friday update from US Northern Command.

As of Wednesday, there were 300 Illinois National Guard members and 200 Texas National Guard members activated under Title 10 and stationed in the Chicago area, as previously reported by the command.

The Trump administration filed an appeal this week challenging the decision by US District Court Judge April Perry, who issued a temporary restraining order Thursday blocking Trump’s National Guard deployment in Illinois.

"I have seen no credible evidence that there has been rebellion in the state of Illinois," Perry said in her ruling, criticizing the Department of Homeland Security assessments of the protests as "unreliable."

She added that deploying troops would "only add fuel to the fire."