Trump Demands Jailing of Windy City Leader and State Executive as Military Forces Deploy in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including 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'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
