Trump Demands Jailing of Windy City Mayor and State Executive as National Guard Arrive in City

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.

"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"

The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.

Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.

"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."

Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"

By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.

Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.

That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.

Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.

Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.

The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.

Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".

A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.

Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.

The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".

At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."

The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.

After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying 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 essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.

Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, per police data.

New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.