Trump Calls for Jailing of Windy City Leader and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Arrive in City
Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.