Trump Calls for Jailing of Windy City Mayor and Illinois Governor as National Guard Arrive in City

Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment 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 Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"

Both officials identify as the Democratic party.

Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.

"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."

The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"

By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.

The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.

That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.

Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.

The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.

On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".

A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.

Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.

The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".

During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."

The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.

After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.

Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.

New survey data released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.

James Wagner
James Wagner

A film critic and entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience covering Hollywood and indie cinema.