Washington (US), Dec 23 (LaPresse) – The US Supreme Court has rejected the Trump Administration’s attempt to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago to protect federal agents involved in carrying out a programme of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. In its ruling, the Court noted that federal law generally prohibits the use of the armed forces for law‑enforcement matters and stated that the statute invoked by Trump to activate the National Guard likely applies only when “regular forces” are not sufficient to maintain order.
“At this preliminary stage, the government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to enforce the law in Illinois,” the High Court said in an unsigned order, issued more than two months after the Administration had asked the justices to rule on the matter. Three conservative justices – Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch – dissented.