Trump calls for jailing of Chicago mayor, Illinois governor as troops move in
US president accuses the Democratic leaders of failing to protect federal agents, escalating the political battle over military deployments in US cities
US President Donald Trump called Wednesday for the Democratic governor of Illinois and mayor of Chicago to be jailed for resisting his mass deportation campaign, a day after armed troops from Texas arrived in the state.
Chicago, the largest city in Illinois and third-largest in the country, has become the latest flashpoint in a crackdown by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that has sparked allegations of rights abuses and myriad lawsuits.
Masked ICE agents have surged into several Democratic-led cities to conduct raids, stoking outrage among many residents and protests outside federal facilities.
“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump posted Wednesday on his social media platform.
Trump’s attacks on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, both Democrats, follow similar extraordinary public calls by the president for his political opponents to face legal charges.