Trump Demands Jailing of Chicago Mayor and State Executive as Military Forces Deploy in City
Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed 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 Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role 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 dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.