Trump Calls for Jailing of Chicago Leader and State Executive as National Guard Deploy in City
Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment 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 wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region 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 has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
