Trump Demands Imprisonment of Chicago Leader and Illinois Governor as National Guard Arrive in Metropolis
Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
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 remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.