SACRAMENTO —

California is taking legal action against President Trump’s control over the National Guard, alleging in a federal lawsuit that the administration misused complaints about riots in Los Angeles to justify a broader deployment, including troops now sent to Illinois.

According to California’s recent motion filed Tuesday in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Trump administration dispatched 14 members of the California National Guard to Illinois to train out-of-state soldiers.

The President’s decision to move National Guard troops from Portland to Illinois has further intensified the ongoing dispute over National Guard authority and the extent of presidential powers in domestic matters.

Federal officials have indicated to California that they plan to extend President Trump’s federal control over 300 National Guard members until January 31, as highlighted in the filing.

“Mr. Trump is conducting a cross-border campaign to create chaos and division,” stated Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday. “His actions, along with those of his Cabinet, contradict the core American values we hold. He must halt this illegal pretense immediately.”

California and Oregon have sought restraining orders following the President’s decision to send California National Guard members to Oregon on Sunday, occurring just a day after a federal judge temporarily blocked his attempts to federalize Oregon’s National Guard.

In response, Judge Karin Immergut issued a broader interim order on Sunday night to block the deployment of National Guard troops from other states to Oregon.

Since June, Senior District Judge Charles R. Breyer has prohibited the government from “deploying, commanding, directing, training, or using” the National Guard for civil enforcement, stemming from a lawsuit by California against Trump regarding the Los Angeles deployment.

New motions by California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed Tuesday urge the Ninth Circuit to lift its previous stay that allowed federalization while imposing strict limitations. California argues that its Federal Guard troops are being utilized for missions beyond what the courts have authorized, such as drug raids in Riverside County and operations in MacArthur Park.

“The continually expanding mission of California’s federalized Guard is unrecognizable from what this court tentatively approved in June,” the state’s filing asserted. “This is causing irreparable harm to California, our democratic traditions, and the rule of law.”

Illinois officials have also taken legal steps to prevent President Trump from deploying troops to Chicago. In response, the President remarked that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker should face jail time.