Trump Demands Imprisonment of Windy City Mayor and Illinois Governor as National Guard Arrive in City
Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment 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 training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 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 external threat.
