Trump Calls for Imprisonment of Windy City Mayor and Illinois Governor as National Guard Arrive in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable 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, including 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 defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.