Trump sends California National Guard to Illinois as White House seeks to expand control

SACRAMENTO — California is challenging President Trump’s hold on the state’s National Guard, telling a federal court that the White House used allegations of unrest in Los Angeles as a pretext for a deployment that has since expanded nationwide, now including sending troops to Illinois.

The Trump administration has deployed 14 California National Guard troops to Illinois to train troops from other states, according to a petition California filed Tuesday asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to end the federal government’s control of its National Guard.

Trump’s decision to move California troops sent Sunday to Portland and redeploy them to Illinois is escalating tensions in the growing fight over who controls the state’s military forces — and how far presidential power can go in domestic operations.

Federal officials told California they intend to issue a new order extending Trump’s federalization of 300 members of the State Guard until Jan. 31, the filing said.

“Trump is leading a crusade across the country to sow chaos and division,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. “His actions – and those of his cabinet – run counter to our deeply held American values. He must end this illegal charade now.”

Officials in California and Oregon requested a restraining order after Trump sent California Guard troops to Oregon on Sunday. Trump deployed the California Guard troops just a day after a federal judge temporarily blocked the president’s effort to federalize the Oregon National Guard.

That prompted Judge Karin Immergut to issue a more sweeping temporary order Sunday evening blocking the deployment of National Guard troops from any other state to Oregon.

California’s own lawsuit against Trump challenging the deployment to Los Angeles since June led Senior District Judge Charles R. Breyer to block the administration from “deploying, ordering, instructing, training, or using” the state’s troops to engage in civil law enforcement.

The new motion filed Tuesday in the case by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta is asking the 9th Circuit to overturn its previous ruling that allowed federalization to continue with strict limits on what it can do. California says federalized Guard troops are now being used for missions outside the limited purposes authorized by the court: drug raids in Riverside County, a show of force operation at MacArthur Park and deployments to other states.

“The ever-expanding mission of the federalized California Guard bears no resemblance to what this Court tentatively confirmed in June,” the state wrote in the filing. “And it does irreparable harm to California, our country’s democratic traditions, and the rule of law.”

Illinois leaders also went to court to try to block Trump from sending troops to Chicago. Trump responded by saying that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker should be jailed.