A federal appeals court has ruled that US President Donald Trump's administration cannot station the National Guard in Illinois.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago also ruled that the force can remain under federal control for now.
The ruling partially upheld a lower court ruling that blocked the deployment of troops to the Chicago area, which said it would “likely lead to civil unrest” and would “only add fuel to the fire.”
Trump has previously deployed the National Guard to other Democratic-led cities such as Los Angeles, Washington and Portland, Oregon.
He says the troops are needed to fight illegal immigration and crime, but local officials have filed lawsuits accusing him of overstepping his legal authority.
The US military said 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and 200 members of the Texas National Guard were deployed to the Chicago area this week.
“Members of the National Guard do not have to return to their home states unless a court orders them to do so,” the appeals court ruling said Saturday.
On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge April Perry issued a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of troops to Illinois.
A Biden appointee wrote: “I have seen no credible evidence that there was an insurrection in the state of Illinois.”
Officials in Illinois and Chicago sued the Trump administration, arguing the deployment of troops was a “serious assault on Illinois' sovereignty.”
Chicago has become a particular hotspot since the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz in September to round up and deport undocumented migrants.
Trump's September deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, is still being challenged in the courts.
It was blocked last week by Oregon District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term in the White House.
She wrote that the administration's justification for the deployment “simply wasn't tied to the facts.”
Trump sent 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June to quell sometimes violent protests over immigration raids in the city.
Most of those troops have since been withdrawn, and the state of California is still suing the Trump administration over their deployment.
