Trump Demands Jailing of Windy City Leader and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Arrive in Metropolis

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

"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"

Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.

Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.

"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."

The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"

By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.

Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.

On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.

Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.

Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.

On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".

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

Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.

Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".

At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."

The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.

After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.

Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.

New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.