Trump Calls for Imprisonment of Windy City Leader and Illinois Governor as National Guard Deploy in City
Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of 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, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.