Trump Demands Jailing of Chicago Leader and State Executive as Military Forces Deploy in Metropolis
Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. 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, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
