Trump Demands Jailing of Windy City Leader and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Deploy in Metropolis
Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent 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, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.