Trump Demands Jailing of Windy City Mayor and State Executive as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.