Trump Calls for Jailing of Chicago Mayor and State Executive as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.