Trump Calls for Jailing of Chicago Leader and State Executive as Military Forces Deploy in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.