Trump Calls for Imprisonment of Chicago Leader and State Executive as National Guard Deploy in City
Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.