Trump Calls for Imprisonment of Chicago Leader and State Executive as National Guard Arrive in City
Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.