Trump Demands Imprisonment of Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as 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'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.