Trump Calls for Jailing of Windy City Mayor and State Executive as Military Forces Arrive in Metropolis
Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing 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 city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
