Trump Demands Jailing of Chicago Leader and Illinois Governor as National Guard Arrive in City

Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.

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

The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.

Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.

"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."

Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"

By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.

Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.

On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.

Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.

Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.

Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.

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

Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.

The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.

The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".

At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."

The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.

Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.

Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.

A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.