🔗 Share this article Trump Demands Jailing of Chicago Leader and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Deploy in Metropolis Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents. "The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!" Both officials identify as the Democratic faction. Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor. "This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere." Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?" By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations. Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders. On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities. Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter. Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December. The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview. Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous". A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday. The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts. Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns". 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 nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law. Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents. Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, 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.