Trump calls for jailing Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor

President Trump escalated his battle with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, saying the Democratic leaders should be jailed for failing to protect ICE officer.

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote on his social media platform on Wednesday, Oct. 8, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.

The back-and-forth comes as hundreds of National Guard troops – 200 soldiers from Texas and 300 from Illinois – arrived in the greater Chicago area, according to U.S. Northern Command. The White House ordered their deployment on Oct. 4.

The nation’s third-largest city has become the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s intensifying deportation campaign and crackdown on crime in Democratic-led cities. Trump this week floated the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act if judges or leaders in blue cities continue to hold up National Guard deployments.

Trump’s battle with Chicago has been stewing for more than a month, with the president threatening that the city would be next in line after deploying 800 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., in August.

Trump says his Chicago-area immigration crackdown, called Operation Midway Blitz, is needed to apprehend “the worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants. The stepped-up enforcement has fueled a simmering powder keg, heightening tensions in the city and spurring ongoing protests, especially at the ICE processing center in the suburb of Broadview, where several protesters were arrested last weekend.

According to immigration authorities, more than 800 “illegal aliens including worst of the worst criminals” have been detained since the ICE raids began. The Trump administration has included Chicago among blue cities and states whose federal funds are being withheld during the ongoing government shutdown.

If President Trump tries to move forward with an arrest of the Chicago mayor or Illinois governor, it could create a powder keg that leads to political, legal and social division in the country.