Trump Admin Urges Supreme Court to Allow National Guard Deployment to Illinois

Solicitor General John Sauer said that Homeland Security agents in Illinois are facing ‘incessant violent resistance’ on a daily basis.

National Guard members walk at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Broadview facility in Chicago on Oct. 9, 2025. Jeenah Moon/Reuters

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to pause a lower court ruling that prevented the deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois, citing a federal statute granting the president such authority.

U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer wrote to the court on Nov. 10 to explain the interpretation of “regular forces” under federal law that allows the president to take command of state National Guard troops. The letter was sent in response to the Supreme Court’s Oct. 29 request for clarification.