National Guard poised to enter Chicago as Trump calls for jailing Democratic leaders

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON – Some 500 National Guard troops were deployed near Chicago on Oct 8 on US President Donald Trump’s orders despite the objections of the Chicago mayor and Illinois governor, who decried the militarisation of their city as an unnecessary provocation.

Mr Trump in turn called for the jailing of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, neither of whom has been accused of criminal wrongdoing.

Both have emerged as prominent opponents of Mr Trump’s immigration crackdown and deployment of National Guard troops in Democratic-leaning cities.

The National Guard said on Oct 8 roughly 200 soldiers from Texas and 300 from Illinois had gathered in the Chicago area, and were ready to protect federal personnel, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and federal property in the city.

While Trump administration officials have sounded the alarm over what they call lawless and violent protests in cities such as Chicago and Portland, Oregon, demonstrations over Mr Trump’s immigration policies have been largely peaceful and limited in size, far from the “war zone” conditions described by Mr Trump.

Several hundred people marched in downtown Chicago on the evening of Oct 8, protesting against the deployment of National Guard troops and reflecting increasing anger at the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign in the Chicago area.

In a new addition to the usual slate of protest chants, people shouted “Todos somos Silverio” or “We are all Silverio” after the fatal shooting of immigrant Silverio Villegas Gonzalez by ICE agents in a Chicago suburb in September.

Otherwise, the streets of downtown Chicago hummed with normal commuter traffic on Oct 8, except for the frequent drone of helicopters overhead, a feature of Chicago’s skies since the Trump administration’s federal incursions began in September.

In the Latino and black neighbourhoods of Chicago, where immigration agents have been most visible, people have come out of their homes and businesses to criticise the perceived mistreatment of their neighbours by federal officers.

Trump calls for jailing Democratic leaders

Mr Trump, elected in 2024 following promises to crack down on immigration and retaliate against his political opponents, accused Mr Johnson and Mr Pritzker of failing to protect immigration officers who have been operating in Chicago.

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Mr Trump wrote on social media.

Mr Johnson, the Chicago mayor, signed an executive order on Oct 6 creating an “ICE Free Zone” that prohibits federal immigration agents from using city property in their operations.

“This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere,” Mr Johnson said on social media.

Governor Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, likewise said 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?”

Mr Trump’s call to imprison the two elected officials
comes as another high-profile political rival, former Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges.

Mr Trump has frequently called for jailing his opponents, but Comey is the first to face prosecution.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, speaking at a White House event on Oct 8, said federal officers in places like Portland and Chicago had come under threat “on a regular basis”.

“Any elected official that allows this to happen... should absolutely be prosecuted, in my opinion,” Ms Noem said, after Mr Trump directed a reporter’s question about arresting Democratic leaders to her.

Some official accounts of threats to federal officials have come into question.

The lawyer of a woman shot by ICE agents said video evidence contradicts the government’s assertions.

Likewise, police records and witness accounts of the fatal shooting of Mr Villegas Gonzalez
differ from the account offered by the Homeland Security Department.

Legal battles over National Guard

Federal courts have placed some limits on Mr Trump’s aggressive and unprecedented deployment of the National Guard where state governors say they are unwanted, but Mr Trump has also threatened to invoke an anti-insurrection law to sidestep any court orders blocking him.

The National Guard deployments will be further tested in two court hearings on Oct 9.

An Illinois federal judge will decide whether to temporarily stop the National Guard from deploying to Chicago, and an appeals court in California will review Mr Trump’s initial appeal over his decision to send troops to Portland, which a federal judge blocked over the weekend.

Meanwhile, a federal judge ruled that ICE had violated a 2022 agreement that limits the agency’s ability in several Midwestern states to arrest immigrants without a warrant, in an opinion that could limit some of the aggressive tactics adopted by ICE since Mr Trump returned to office.

Amid the court challenges, Mr Trump has threatened to deploy troops to more US cities, which he said last week could serve as “training grounds” for the armed forces.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Oct 8 found most Americans oppose deployments
without an external threat. REUTERS