Trump Demands Imprisonment of Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor as National Guard Arrive in City
Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.