Trump Calls for Jailing of Windy City Leader and State Executive as National Guard Arrive in City
Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives 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 approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.