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A law enforcement officer faces off with a protester on the streets of Chicago. Reuters/File
– Trump threatens to jail Chicago’s mayor and Illinois governor.
– Despite resistance, National Guard troops gather outside Chicago.
– The former FBI director is scheduled to appear in court facing criminal charges.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged the imprisonment of Chicago’s Democrat mayor and Illinois’ governor as his administration moved to deploy military forces into the city, the third-largest in the country. Neither Mayor Brandon Johnson nor Governor JB Pritzker has been accused of any crimes, though both have publicly opposed Trump’s tougher immigration policies and the deployment of National Guard troops in traditionally Democratic areas.
Trump’s call to arrest the elected officials comes at the same time as the court appearance of former FBI Director James Comey, who faces criminal charges widely regarded as flimsy. Since entering politics in 2015, Trump has routinely called for the jailing of his opponents, but Comey is the first to actually face prosecution.
In a post on social media, Trump accused Johnson and Pritzker of neglecting to protect immigration officers operating in Chicago. “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers! Governor Pritzker too!” he wrote, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.
Johnson signed an executive order Monday establishing an “ICE-Free Zone,” which bans federal immigration agents from using city property for their operations. “This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to unjustly imprison a Black man. I won’t be silenced,” Johnson said on social media.
Pritzker, a potential candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, also vowed to stand firm. “Trump is now advocating for the arrest of elected officials checking his power. What’s next on the road to full authoritarianism?” he questioned.
Trump has announced plans to leverage federal authority against his critics. Besides Comey, his Justice Department is probing several other prominent opponents. All have denied any wrongdoing, with Comey expected to plead not guilty to charges of lying to Congress.
Meanwhile, a federal judge ruled that ICE violated a 2022 agreement restricting the agency’s ability to arrest immigrants without warrants in several Midwestern states. This ruling could impose limits on ICE’s aggressive tactics since Trump returned to office. Judge Jeffrey Cummings declared that ICE erroneously claimed the agreement was canceled and extended it until February.
Troops in Chicago
Hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers have assembled at a military facility near Chicago, despite objections from Pritzker, Johnson, and other Democratic leaders in Illinois. Trump has threatened to send troops to additional U.S. cities, claiming last week they could serve as “training grounds” for armed forces.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that most Americans oppose military deployment in cities without an active external threat. Trump has dispatched Guard units to Chicago and Portland, Oregon, after earlier deployments to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., despite strong opposition from Democratic mayors and governors who argue that the lawlessness and violence Trump highlights are exaggerated. He has also threatened to send troops to Memphis.
“My goal is very simple: STOP CRIME IN AMERICA!” Trump posted on social media.
While violent crime rates are declining in many cities following pandemic-related spikes, the National Guard has primarily been used to safeguard federal facilities rather than address street violence. Protests over Trump’s immigration policies in Chicago and Portland have remained largely peaceful and small in scale, contradicting the portrayal by the Trump administration.
At an immigration detention facility in Broadview, Illinois—just outside Chicago—four protesters held signs and chanted slogans Wednesday. They faced off against heavily armed officers. The administration has indicated that National Guard troops might be sent to protect the facility, but none had arrived by midday.
Pritzker accused Trump of inciting violence to justify further militarization, and the state has filed suit to block the troop deployment. A federal judge granted a temporary stay on the deployment Monday, while another has temporarily blocked efforts in Portland.
Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to bypass court orders, a measure last used during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
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