Trump Demands Imprisonment of Chicago Leader and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Arrive in City
Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.