Trump Demands Imprisonment of Windy City Mayor and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Arrive in City
Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify 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, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
