🔗 Share this article Trump Calls for Imprisonment of Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor as National Guard Deploy in City Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for 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 should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!" The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction. Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson. "This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere." Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?" By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts. The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders. On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings. Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter. The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December. The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb. Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky". Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday. Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts. The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces". During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority." The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority. Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed 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 combat crime and protect ICE officers. Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports. New survey data released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.