Trump Calls for Jailing of Chicago Leader and Illinois Governor as National Guard Deploy in City

Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.

"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"

The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.

These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.

"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."

Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"

By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.

The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.

That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.

Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.

Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.

On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".

Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.

Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.

Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".

During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence 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 said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.

Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.

Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.

New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.