President Trump calls for jailing of local leaders fighting National Guard deployment
President Donald Trump is calling for the jailing of Chicago’s mayor and Illinois' governor amid growing backlash to his deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois.
On his social media page, Trump said, "Chicago mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!" Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded, "It's certainly not the first time that Donald Trump has called for the arresting of a black man, unjustly. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay firm as the mayor of this amazing city."
National Guard troops from Texas have arrived in Illinois, preparing to patrol in and around Chicago. The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted flights over the base where the troops are stationed through December, indicating a potentially extended stay.
The White House says the deployment is part of a "crime crackdown" in cities where it claims local leaders have not done enough to stop violence or protect federal buildings. This move comes as protests have escalated outside a federal immigration building near Chicago. State and city officials are suing to block the deployment, arguing there is no need for troops and it is unconstitutional.
A court hearing is set for Thursday. The federal judge in that case is demanding that the Trump administration explain the details of that deployment by midnight on Wednesday. Separate judges in California and Oregon have already blocked similar deployments.
The president says if courts or local leaders stand in his way of deploying troops, he is willing to invoke the Insurrection Act. Critics argue that this would cross a line, as it would involve federal troops in domestic law enforcement roles. The president's plan is expanding, with police in Memphis saying commanders are already on the ground, planning for troops to arrive by Friday.
The president has talked about expanding this deployment to other cities he says are "out of control," including Baltimore, Oakland, New Orleans, and St. Louis. Local leaders in each of those places have pushed back, saying their police departments can handle their own streets.
A president can invoke the Insurrection Act, but it is rare. The last time was in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush sent troops to Los Angeles after the Rodney King riots. Before that, Lyndon Johnson utilized it in the 1960s to enforce civil rights orders and quell riots, and Dwight Eisenhower employed it in 1957 to integrate schools in Arkansas.
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