Trump Calls for Imprisonment of Chicago Leader and State Executive as National Guard Arrive in Metropolis
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize 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 enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.