Trump Calls for Jailing of Windy City Leader and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Arrive in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act 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 commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.