Jayapal Statement on Ruling Blocking Trump from Deploying National Guard to Chicago

SEATTLE, W.A. — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement regarding the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, which extends an order blocking President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops in Chicago.

“Our cities are not war zones or ‘training grounds’, and as the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rightly said in this ruling, ‘political opposition is not rebellion’. In a critical opinion issued by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals with judges appointed by Presidents Trump, Obama, and George H.W. Bush, the Court upheld the lower court’s ruling that there is no ‘rebellion’ in Chicago that necessitates the National Guard being called in.  

“We are guaranteed by the First Amendment the right to free speech and the right to protest. And as the court continued in the ruling, ‘a protest does not become a rebellion merely because the protestors advocate for […] legal or policy changes, are well organized [… or] use civil disobedience as a form of protest.’

“Trump is not a king, and his efforts to militarize our communities are a threat to our democracy and our freedoms across this country. His attempts only undercut our nation’s ability to respond to real emergencies amidst hurricane season or on the national security front. Our cities and states will continue to stand up our nonviolent resistance movements to these authoritarian moves so that we protect our communities, our streets, and our democracy.”