Trump Demands Jailing of Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Deploy in Metropolis

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

"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"

Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.

Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.

"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."

Pritzker also replied 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 autocracy?"

By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.

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

On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.

Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.

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

Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.

On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".

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

The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.

Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".

During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."

The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.

Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.

Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.

A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.