The Trump administration made mistaken and misleading claims over the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago in an emergency docket to the Supreme Court, according to a new report.
A New York Times investigation published Tuesday revealed that the administration erroneously distorted Chicago Police Department officers' responsiveness and protesters' actions in a filing that requested the high court to allow the troops in the Windy City.
"The emergency request, filed by the solicitor general, D. John Sauer, which draws heavily from court declarations made by two Homeland Security officials, misstates what happened in the aftermath of a car crash and shooting on Oct. 4 in Chicago that involved Border Patrol agents," The Times reported.
After analyzing hundreds of videos and hours of police radio, The Times debunked the federal government's claims that police were slow to respond and left ICE agents on their own in "what they called a riot." During the Oct. 4 crash and shooting, The Times found that police responded within seven minutes and found that "protesters were peaceful for the first two hours, before a forceful federal response."
"That contention is central to the administration’s legal rationale for deploying the National Guard: that 'violent protests' are preventing agents from enforcing immigration law," according to The Times.
The case could set a stunning legal precedent for authorizing the military in American cities.
"The Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court on the fast-track emergency docket after lower courts granted Illinois’s request to block the troop deployment. The court could rule any day. If the justices decide in favor of the Trump administration, the emergency ruling, although temporary, could lay the legal groundwork for the deployment of National Guard troops to more U.S. cities," The Times reported.