The Chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois says National Guard troops are not needed at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago.
The Trump administration has deployed hundreds of troops from the Texas National Guard and called up hundreds more from the Illinois National Guard to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and facilities, as well as federal properties, in Chicago, claiming the city is “out of control” and dangerous.
Illinois and Chicago have sued over the federalization of the troops, and a hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. today. Federalizing the guard only allows the Trump administration to send them to federal facilities and with federal agents; the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the National Guard from being deployed to domestic locations for the purposes of law enforcement.
Ahead of the hearing, Chief Judge Virginia Kendall released a statement asking for troops to be kept away from the Dirksen Federal Building, one of downtown Chicago’s federal properties that houses the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois, Eastern Division.
“Providing access to justice is at the heart of the Court’s mission and critical for our democracy. Maintaining access to the courthouse for anyone who seeks redress remains a top priority of the court,” she wrote.
Judge Kendall noted the U.S. Marshals Service has jurisdiction over security both inside and outside the courthouse, not the Federal Protective Service. She wrote that she “trust[s] and rel[ies] upon the men and women of the United States Marshals Service and the Court Security Officers to provide security at the Dirksen Courthouse.”
“At no point did I, nor did the Building Security Committee, authorize or request the National Guard’s assistance to secure the Dirksen Courthouse,” Kendall writes.
“With my approval, additional security measures have been implemented to allow court operations to proceed, but those measures do not include the National Guard at the Dirksen Courthouse,” her statement says.
Kendall said the court will remain open for hearings, trials and naturalization ceremonies during their normal business hours, and in-person proceedings will continue as scheduled.Â
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