Trump Demands Imprisonment of Chicago Mayor and State Executive as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis
Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
