Federal Judge Blocks National Guard Deployment in Chicago
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to the Chicago area, ruling that the move violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
U.S. District Judge April Perry issued the temporary restraining order on Thursday, finding that the deployment of 500 National Guard members—200 from Texas and 300 from Illinois—violated the 10th and 14th amendments as well as the Posse Comitatus Act, a nearly 150-year-old law that restricts the military’s role in domestic law enforcement.
The Deployment
The National Guard troops had arrived in the Chicago area earlier this week to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. According to U.S. Northern Command, the forces were mobilized for an initial 60-day period to assist with immigration enforcement efforts.
The deployment came amid escalating tensions at an ICE processing facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, where protests have taken place and confrontations between activists and federal agents have occurred.
Court Ruling
“DHS’s narrative of events is simply unreliable.” — U.S. District Judge April Perry
Judge Perry delivered sharp criticism of the administration’s justification for the deployment, calling the government’s account of events “simply unreliable” and saying she found “no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion in the state of Illinois.”
From Mitch Smith of the New York Times:
Referencing Alexander Hamilton and the founders’ intentions, Perry stated: “(The founders) would never believe that it would ever come to pass that one state militia could be sent to another state for the purposes of political retribution.”
The judge questioned where the alleged rebellion was occurring and expressed concerns about whether National Guard troops had adequate training in de-escalation tactics. She pressed Justice Department attorneys on whether troops would be stationed only around federal buildings or also deployed to neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals.
It remains unclear when the temporary restraining order will take effect. Perry indicated she plans to issue another ruling today.
Political Battle
The deployment has sparked fierce resistance from Illinois officials. Chicago and the state of Illinois filed a lawsuit Monday to stop the deployment, calling it unnecessary and illegal. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has accused the Trump administration of using service members “as political props” in what he called an illegal effort to militarize communities.
Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the decision during a press availability Wednesday, saying the administration was acting to “keep our federal officers safe, to keep our federal buildings safe.”
President Trump has indicated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to dispatch active duty military forces to states unable to suppress insurrection or defying federal law, though it remains unclear if he will take that step.
Separate Ruling on Agent Conduct
In a second ruling Thursday, a different federal judge temporarily ordered ICE agents to wear identification badges and banned them from using certain riot control weapons against peaceful protesters and journalists outside the Broadview facility. The preliminary injunction restricts agents’ use of pepper balls, rubber bullets, and physical force against those who don’t pose a serious threat to law enforcement.
The Trump administration has not yet responded to either ruling.
Gov. Abbott’s office has not responded either.
Austin City Council Approves Major Funding Initiatives and Development Projects
The Austin City Council took action on several significant financial commitments and development proposals during its meeting yesterday, addressing issues ranging from homelessness services to cultural funding and infrastructure improvements.
Cultural and Economic Development
In one of the meeting’s most substantial actions, the Council authorized an additional $5.4 million for Rally Austin (the Austin Economic Development Corporation). The funding will support the Austin Cultural Trust, create creative space within the permitting and development center, and provide operational support, bringing the total agreement to $45.14 million.
Homelessness Services
The Council ratified an emergency agreement with Family Endeavors to operate the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless and the Eighth Street Women’s Shelter. The 12-month contract, beginning September 30, 2025, totals just over $8 million and ensures continuity of critical services for the city’s homeless population.
Council voted 8-3 to buy a $4.3 million property on I-35 near Oltorf for a controversial new homeless navigation center. Council Member Marc Duchen brought a motion to postpone the vote, but that failed. Most of the council members voted in favor. The “no” votes were Council Members Marc Duchen, Zo Qadri, and Jose Velasquez. Who will run the center hasn’t been decided yet. (FOX 7 Austin)
Infrastructure and Property
Council members approved the acquisition of approximately 1.39 acres of property, including a 12,313 square foot building, at 2401 South Interstate 35 for $4.375 million. The purchase, funded through Austin Housing‘s capital budget, will support the city’s housing initiatives.
The Council also authorized up to $250 million in Airport System Revenue Refunding Bonds to refinance existing debt, with the sale expected by April 2026.
Major Contracts
Several significant contracts received approval, including:
- A $9.6 million wastewater line renewal and rehabilitation contract for Austin Water
- A $15 million construction contract for parking lot and road repairs across city facilities
- A $3.7 million increase for computer-aided dispatch software maintenance
- A $4 million increase for the I Belong in Austin program, bringing that contract total to $21.8 million
Development and Zoning
The Council approved numerous zoning changes to facilitate higher-density residential development and mixed-use projects throughout the city. Notable rezonings included properties along East 6th Street, Red River Street, Airport Boulevard, and various locations in North Austin.
Several cases were postponed at the request of applicants, staff, or neighborhood groups, including properties on Rosewood Avenue, Montopolis Drive, and Airport Boulevard.
Crime
Community
In lighter business, the Council renamed a portion of Red River Street to Pike Powers Plaza and renamed Shadywood Neighborhood Park to Guitarland Neighborhood Park. The Council also approved its 2026 meeting schedule and various board and commission appointments.
Council approved a resolution instructing city staff to study how small coffee shops and cafes could open in residential neighborhoods more easily.
It is part of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan to build compact and connected communities. (CBS Austin)
WATCH THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL SESSION
PODCAST
At the end of Friday last week, AISD announced a plan to close 13 school campuses at the end of the school year in an effort to address its $19.7 million deficit. The proposed closures come amid years of declining student enrollment and as the district faces a looming threat of a state takeover. On this week’s Friday News Roundup, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec and Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw to break down what these potential school closures mean for the community and for the future of public education in Austin.
Plus, the team dives into the highs and lows of ACL weekend one and shares the electric news about the new business moving into the old Austin American-Statesmen‘s building.
Austin must remove its roadway art—including the popular Fourth and Colorado rainbow crosswalk and the “Black Artists Matter” mural on 11th Street—within 30 days or risk losing critical transportation funds.
Governor Greg Abbott ordered cities and counties on Wednesday to take down all such displays. According to the Governor, the move enforces a federal policy banning symbolic language and artwork on roads. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has given local governments a strict 30-day deadline to comply and eliminate any “decorative crosswalks, murals, or markings conveying artwork or other messages.” (KUT 90.5)
The City of San Antonio will not remove or change any street markings after Abbott’s directive, at least for now. (Texas Public Radio)
Authorities in Williamson County have made an arrest in a series of recent church burglaries.
A Taylor man with a decades-long history of driving while intoxicated has been sentenced to 80 years in prison by a Williamson County jury.
Thomas Holman, 60, was convicted of DWI after his record showed four previous convictions and numerous arrests for the offense dating back to the 1980s, the district attorney’s office confirmed. (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin police have made an arrest in the city’s 45th homicide of 2025. It happened early Monday on Research Boulevard.
New details on a Texas man facing multiple felony charges after a series of alleged auto thefts both here and in Houston.
A joint investigation by the Austin Police Department Auto Theft Unit, the Cedar Park Police Department, and the Austin ISD Police Department led to the recovery of multiple stolen firearms and the arrest of two juvenile suspects. The operation stemmed from an attempted auto theft incident that took place on September 10. (CBS Austin)
Earlier this week, the Austin Public Safety Commission approved a resolution calling for a full audit of the progress made on police training academy reforms.
The proposal stems from concerns about implementing reforms recommended by Kroll Associates, a firm hired in 2020 to review discrimination, racism, and bigotry in the APD.
Key issues identified include:
- The training academy staff has failed to produce adequate documentation of progress or a plan for completion of all recommendations as of this week.
- There remain institutional barriers within the APD and resistance to changing training approaches among sworn instructors, with sworn staff feeling that the civilian Division Manager has no authority to impose directives on them.
- On August 24, 2025, 36 of the 42 instructors at the Academy were reassigned to patrol full time and replaced with 27 sergeants still transitioning into their new roles.
- The commission expressed opposition to these instructor reassignments but they had already occurred as part of efforts to address patrol staffing shortages.
- The resolution also seeks an expansion of the open policing data release portal to include additional transparency on progress completing various public safety task force and oversight recommendations, plus a public application process for community and professional advisory committees.
Austin firefighters battled a small fire at a gas station in South Austin early Thursday.
Parents, teachers and students rallied in front of Austin ISD headquarters Thursday to protest the district’s plan to close and consolidate several schools.
A brief disruption at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport yesterday.
As the second weekend of ACL begins and with Formula One racing happening next weekend, passenger traffic at ABIA is seeing big numbers.
Meanwhile, get ready for more flight options out of Austin.
Southwest Airlines is adding two new nonstop destinations and increasing service on three current routes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) starting in June.
On June 4, Southwest will begin offering nonstop flights to both Cincinnati and Seattle.
The Seattle route will be daily seasonal service, bringing back a route Southwest last flew in 2018. While other carriers like Allegiant, Delta, and Frontier currently serve Cincinnati, and Delta and Alaska serve Seattle, Southwest’s new service offers more choices for passengers. In addition to these new routes, the airline will also add more flights to three other existing nonstop destinations. (KXAN-TV)
ACL: WEEKEND TWO
WEATHER
THURSDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
The catastrophic July floods poured what amounted to a year’s worth of water into Central Texas lakes—a volume that, in the past, would have been enough to fully replenish them. This dramatic increase, however, was not enough to break the drought. Central Texas Water Coalition Executive Director Shannon Hamilton told the Lakeway City Council that the lakes are still not full. (Austin American-Statesman)
LA NINA
Texas’ highest criminal court on Thursday blocked Robert Roberson’s execution a week before it was set to take place, sending his case back to trial court.
Texas lawmakers react:
Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday essentially sided with the Republican Party of Texas’ effort to restrict participation in primary elections, urging the secretary of state’s office to stop fighting the party’s lawsuit on the issue.
“The unconstitutional law stopping the [Republican Party of Texas] from closing its primaries is completely indefensible and a slap in the face to the Republican Party and voters.” — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
A court hearing is scheduled today in the civil case against Gateway Church founder Robert Morris.
Public schools across Texas are being put to the test. From Fort Worth to Grapevine, Austin to San Antonio, we’ll look at how communities are reacting – and in some cases, pushing back – on plans to shutter schools and shuffle the map for many students.
Also, a big fight over redistricting with huge consequences – no longer on the political stage, but instead, a rather small federal courtroom. We’ll hear from Nacar Devine, an El Pasoan keeping tabs on what’s going on amid the hearing over Texas’ new congressional map.
Those stories, the latest on H-1B visas, and much more.
(Episode from October 9, 2025)
The opening of long-awaited flyovers ahead of schedule and moving forward on plans for key highway expansions highlight the many TxDOT project milestones across the state in September. (TxDOT)
- San Antonio: New turnaround and flyover openings
- Houston: Public gets a look at Gulf Freeway’s future
- Waco: I-35 progress and bridge improvements
- West Texas: I-27 extension moves forward
Texas Parks & Wildlife is hoping to acquire a 54,000-acre Hill Country ranch for new state park.
The Silver Lake Ranch is about two and a half hours west of San Antonio in the western Hill Country and includes a stretch of the west Nueces River. (Texas Public Radio)
The State Fair of Texas is increasing security ahead of tomorrow’s Red River Rivalry game in Dallas.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Thursday night scores from around the ATX:
- Bastrop 62, Pflugerville Connally 18
- Austin LBJ 48, Manor New Tech 0
- A&M Consolidated 62, Kyle Lehman 0
- Regents 56, Tyler Grace Community 7
- Westlake 58, Austin High 14
NHL: The 2025-2026 season for the Dallas Stars began with a road win last night. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists, and the Dallas Stars held off the Winnipeg Jets despite Kyle Connor’s hat trick for a 5-4 season-opening win at Canada Life Centre on Thursday.
ON THE SCHEDULE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Unranked Texas will be in Dallas tomorrow for the annual Red River Rivalry against No. 6 Oklahoma.
Can the Longhorns reverse course on this season and pull off an upset?
Texas Longhorns – Oklahoma Sooners Preview | LIVE | 10/10/25
NFL: Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after torching the Baltimore Ravens.
TEXAS COUNTRY REPORTER
In this episode of Texas Country Reporter, we travel across the Lone Star State to meet three Texans keeping creativity, craftsmanship, and history alive.
Hans Schneider Cycles – Meet Hans Schneider, a former competitive cyclist who now builds custom bike frames by hand. Every bike he designs is one-of-a-kind, crafted with precision and passion to fit each rider’s story.
Riley’s Tavern – Step inside Texas’ first bar to reopen after Prohibition. For more than 90 years, Riley’s Tavern has been a gathering place for locals and travelers alike. With live music, pool tables, and old-school charm, Joel Hofmann keeps this Texas honky-tonk tradition going strong.
Joaquin Soto, Scrap Metal Artist – Discover how Dallas artist Joaquin Soto turns discarded metal into powerful sculptures. After surviving a near-fatal car accident, Joaquin found purpose in transforming scrap in
to art, proving that beauty and meaning can rise from what’s been left behind. Join us as we explore the people and places that make Texas one-of-a-kind.
