Trump Demands Imprisonment of Chicago Leader and State Executive as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis
Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted 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 democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.