Texas National Guard Poised to Leave Chicago After Court Blocks Federal Deployment

Texas National Guard Poised to Leave Chicago After Court Blocks Federal Deployment

Texas National Guard troops sent to the Chicago area are expected to return to Texas soon, a source familiar with planning told CNN, after weeks of uncertainty while courts weighed the legality of their federal activation.

Exact timing remains unclear, but officials have begun preparing units for departure. About 200 Texas Guardsmen were federalized under Title 10 in early October and sent to the Chicago region with orders to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel and other federal staff. Instead of being posted at federal sites, many spent weeks at training bases awaiting orders.

The deployment was effectively halted by a U.S. district judge who found insufficient justification to federalize the Guard, and the Supreme Court later asked for additional briefing in the high-profile case. The Court requested the Department of Justice and Illinois officials address whether the law invoked by the administration permits the use of federalized troops to augment immigration enforcement.

The dispute is part of a broader legal and political fight over the Trump administration's use of rarely invoked federal authority to mobilize state National Guard units in U.S. cities. The administration has described demonstrations in Chicago and Portland as "violent protests" and argued federal forces are needed to protect federal personnel and property. State and local leaders have countered that protests have largely been peaceful and that local law enforcement can manage unrest.

U.S. Northern Command said that "in the coming days, the Department will be shifting and/or rightsizing our Title 10 footprint in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago to ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city." Northern Command declined to elaborate on how that adjustment would affect troops currently in those locations.

U.S. District Judge April Perry wrote that she had seen "no credible evidence that there has been rebellion in the state of Illinois" and described Department of Homeland Security assessments of the protests as "unreliable," a ruling that helped halt the Chicago deployment.

Similar legal fights have unfolded over federalized deployments to Portland and Los Angeles, and California and Oregon officials have filed lawsuits challenging the administration’s actions. In a separate September ruling, a federal judge found that the president had violated federal law by using federalized California National Guard members and U.S. Marines in ways that amounted to law enforcement activity.

Historically, large-scale federalization of the National Guard for domestic operations is rare. The last comparable instance often cited is the federalized response during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which at that time was coordinated with state officials. Courts are now considering what the law means by "regular forces" and under what circumstances the president can federalize state Guard units for domestic operations.

This report has been updated with additional details. CNN correspondents contributed to the coverage.