Chicago Sues

Both the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago are suing the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard: “Defendants’ deployment of federalized troops to Illinois is patently unlawful,” reads the lawsuit. “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.”

Trump had followed this same playbook in Los Angeles, to quell immigration-related protests, and in D.C., to apparently help solve crime and disorder; he seemed to believe he could throw a few hundred National Guardsmen Chicago’s way on the heels of violent (and peaceful) skirmishes between immigration authorities conducting raids and protesters attempting to stop them (under the guise of “protect[ing] federal officers and assets,” of course).

The lawsuit comes after a federal judge blocked Trump’s planned deployment of National Guard troops in Portland, Oregon; U.S. District Judge April Perry has come under some pressure to issue a temporary restraining order given that National Guardsmen might be brought in starting today, but she has indicated she needs time to wade through the arguments and will issue her decision Thursday at the earliest.

“The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” wrote the Illinois Attorney General’s Office in the filing. “The Trump administration’s illegal actions already have subjected and are subjecting Illinois to serious and irreparable harm.”

“This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” wrote U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, in the ruling as to whether troops could be lawfully deployed in Portland.

“The Federalization Order’s deployment of federalized military forces to protect federal personal and property from ‘violent demonstrations’ that ‘are occurring or are likely to occur’ represents the exact type of intrusion on State power that is at the heart of the Tenth Amendment,” reads the lawsuit currently being considered, echoing the argument that had been before Immergut.

Allegations that ICE and Border Patrol are mistreating protesters: Even aside from the legal questions surrounding the possible National Guard deployment in Chicago, civil liberties organizations are claiming that federal authorities from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and Border Patrol are “indiscriminate” and using “violent force” (per a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union) against journalists and peaceful protesters in Illinois, as well as “tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper balls and flash grenades,” per The Washington Post. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin countered that “the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly—not rioting.”

And Chicago’s mayor, Democrat Brandon Johnson, signed an executive order “prohibiting federal immigration agents from using city-owned property for immigration enforcement operations,” per Fox, declaring certain areas of the city to be “ICE-free zones.”

In a broader sense, these types of clashes were a long time coming: Both Chicago and Portland have long declared themselves sanctuary cities, refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement activities. It’s a little hard to get a full and accurate list—and these designations change over time—but here’s one from 2017:

Trump says he will pull federal funding from programs in #Sanctuary cities. Here’s a list of cities ICE designates as “sanctuary cities”: pic.twitter.com/UNls3gWEwu

— The Sparrow Project (@sparrowmedia) January 25, 2017

And here’s Joe Biden (ha!) opposing sanctuary cities back in 2007 and talking about the value of enforcing federal law:

2007. Joe Biden: I would not allow sanctuary cities. They turn into dumps. Enforce federal immigration law.pic.twitter.com/ACfuhKH7AU https://t.co/poatNO2OCR

— MAZE (@mazemoore) September 29, 2025

Democrats have, to some degree, created the situation in which they now find themselves: Biden’s immigration policy let vast numbers of migrants in, which the Trump administration is now looking to unwind. But Democrats in certain cities and states are claiming that the feds are prohibited from unwinding it via deportation. Furthermore, the Trump administration is able to claim that unrest is destroying places like Portland—which doesn’t really appear to be true—because people are so primed to believe it after 2020, when protesters and antifa agitators really did destroy a lot of federal property.

But what’s actually happening on the ground really does matter, and Trump really must adhere to limits placed on his power by the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal troops from being used for domestic civilian law enforcement.

Then there’s also the question of prudence: Is the National Guard especially helpful in these situations, or is this just a display of muscle? Would Trump be wise to deploy them more selectively?

Scenes from New York: This is kinda sick, actually; I miss him already.

Eric Adams wore this custom made robe to a Rosh Hashanah service in Brooklyn yesterday.
byu/kooneecheewah innyc

QUICK HITS

• “A federal program to subsidize air travel to rural areas will run out of funding by Sunday unless the government shutdown ends, the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, said Monday, predicting other interruptions to air service if the standoff wears on,” reports The New York Times. “The loss of funding for the Essential Air Service, which pays subsidies to commercial airlines to maintain flights at smaller airports that might otherwise lose service, is poised to become the first aviation-related effect passengers feel as a result of the shutdown that began Wednesday.” My only question: Why did this get funding in the first place?
• “Today, 43% of U.S. adults say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is a bad thing for society,” reports Pew. “That’s up from 34% in 2022. And 40% of adults now say it’s a bad thing for sports, up from 33%.” Sorry to be bad on this one, but I’m totally with ’em.
• Today is the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in which 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered and 250 captives were taken. Women, children, and even infants were brutalized on the bloodiest day in Israeli history. May their memories be a blessing, and may every hostage be returned.
• “Taxpayers will spend roughly $193 billion this year for the Department of Veterans Affairs to compensate about 6.9 million disabled veterans on the presumption that their ability to work is impaired. VA officials say most veterans’ disability claims are legitimate,” reports The Washington Post. “Yet The Post found that millions of the claims are for minor or treatable afflictions that rarely hinder employment, such as hair loss, jock itch and toenail fungus. About 556,000 veterans receive disability benefits for eczema, 332,000 for hemorrhoids, 110,000 for benign skin growths, 81,000 for acne and 74,000 for varicose veins, the most recently available figures from VA show. Individual payouts for such mundane conditions vary, but collectively they cost billions of dollars a year. In contrast, far fewer veterans receive compensation for certain combat-related injuries. About 10,900 service members who have suffered ‘severe’ or ‘penetrating’ brain injuries since 2000 are eligible for benefits. Fewer than 1,700 receive disability payments for losing limbs during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
• Wow:

NEWS: Unlawful crossings at the US-Mexico border in fiscal year 2025 hit a 55-year low, plummeting to the lowest level since 1970, amid the Trump administration’s clampdown on illegal immigration, according to internal federal data obtained by CBS News.https://t.co/8ehcIJg0mP pic.twitter.com/kVMRqd1rfM

— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) October 7, 2025