Trump Calls for Jailing of Chicago Leader and Illinois Governor as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.

"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"

Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.

Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.

"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."

The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"

As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.

Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.

On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.

Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.

Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.

The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.

On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".

A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.

The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.

Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".

At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."

The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.

Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.

Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.

New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.

John Stafford
John Stafford

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