HOUSTON, United States 

A judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday blocking US President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard to the state of Illinois, according to media reports.

Trump had ordered the deployment of hundreds of guardsmen to Democratic-controlled cities in multiple states, including Illinois, to quell protests that he claimed justified the use of military force, calling the demonstrators "insurrectionists."

"I have seen no credible evidence" that there has been a rebellion in Illinois, said US District Judge April Perry in her ruling.

Perry added that the evidence demonstrates that the deployment of the National Guard may lead to "civil unrest" and will "only add fuel to the fire" that the Trump administration has started as part of the president's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics.

Illinois is one of several US states battling Trump in federal court about the constitutionality of sending National Guard troops to police local governments.

The federal government had argued that the "violent actions and threats" by protestors constituted "at least a danger of a rebellion against federal authority."

The temporary restraining order barring the National Guard from being deployed to Illinois, in particular Chicago, is effective for 14 days.

The judge said she will issue a written order on her decision Friday.

Trump had ordered the deployment of 200 National Guard troops from Texas, who arrived in Illinois earlier this week and were expected to begin guarding an immigration facility. In addition, the president ordered the federalization of 300 Illinois guardsmen.

Trump administration lawyers have argued that the courts cannot review the president's executive deployment decisions at all.