Trump Calls for Jailing of Windy City Mayor and State Executive as Military Forces Deploy in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite 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 wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.