🔗 Share this article Trump Calls for Imprisonment of Windy City Leader and State Executive as Military Forces Deploy in City Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents. "Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!" Both officials identify as the Democratic party. These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor. "This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere." The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?" As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts. Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides. On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities. Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December. Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview. On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky". Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday. The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts. Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces". During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command." The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority. After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers. Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports. A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.