Trump Calls for Jailing of Windy City Mayor and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Arrive in Metropolis

Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.

"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"

The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.

These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.

"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."

The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"

By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.

The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.

On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.

Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.

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

The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.

On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".

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

The mayor also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.

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

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."

The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.

Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.

Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.

A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.