Trump Calls for Jailing of Windy City Mayor and State Executive as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis
Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. 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 training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
