Trump Calls for Jailing of Chicago Leader and State Executive as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis
Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.