Trump Demands Imprisonment of Chicago Mayor and State Executive as National Guard Arrive in City
Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire 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 other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
