Trump Demands Jailing of Windy City Mayor and Illinois Governor as National Guard Deploy in Metropolis

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

"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"

The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.

Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.

"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."

Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete 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 Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.

Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.

On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.

Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.

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

The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.

On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".

A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.

Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.

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

During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."

The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.

Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.

Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.

New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.