Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the imprisonment of Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
His remarks came as National Guard troops arrived in the city at the president’s request, despite criticism from local officials.
“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday morning.
Both officials hit back. The mayor said it was not the first time Trump had tried to arrest “unjustly a Black man,” while the governor vowed he would not “back down.”
“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?” Pritzker wrote on social media.
National Guard troops from Texas arrived on Wednesday at the Elwood Reserve Centre, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Chicago, as the Trump administration continues its hardline approach to tackling crime.
According to The New York Times, 200 National Guard members from Texas and a further 300 stationed in Chicago are expected to be deployed.
