Trump calls for jailing of Illinois, Chicago leaders

President Donald Trump has sparked fresh controversy by demanding the arrest of Illinois officials, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers conducting raids in Chicago.

In a fiery social media post, the president alleged that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, both Democrats, “should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers.”

Trump’s comments came as hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed to Chicago as part of his administration’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign. The move has deepened tensions between the White House and Democratic-led states that have resisted his policies.

The president has previously branded Chicago a “war zone,” citing violent protests against immigration raids. Governor Pritzker denounced Trump’s remarks as “authoritarian,” accusing him of attempting to silence dissent through intimidation.

Mayor Johnson also pushed back sharply, referencing the president’s previous attacks on minority leaders.

The deployment of federal forces to Chicago follows similar troop movements in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., which Trump said were necessary to curb what he called “out-of-control crime.”

However, local leaders have challenged the legality and necessity of the deployments. The District of Columbia’s Attorney General, Brian Schwalb, has sued the federal government, arguing that the military presence is “unwanted, unnecessary, and dangerous.”

Trump has also sought to send troops to Memphis, Tennessee, and Portland, Oregon. A federal judge has temporarily blocked deployment to Portland but allowed it to proceed in Chicago pending a full hearing.

In response, the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago have jointly filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the federal deployment, with a court hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Trump has hinted that he could invoke the Insurrection Act if courts or state officials continue to obstruct his plans.

The White House has defended its actions, with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller accusing courts of staging “an insurrection against the laws and Constitution of the United States.”

Meanwhile, the situation in Chicago remains volatile. Over the weekend, protests against immigration enforcement turned violent when ICE agents reportedly opened fire on a woman after she and others allegedly rammed their vehicles into law enforcement cars. Authorities say the woman later drove herself to the hospital, though her lawyer disputes the government’s version of events.

President Trump is expected to host a roundtable on combating Antifa on Wednesday, as his administration continues to frame the unrest as part of a broader struggle against what it calls “lawlessness and radical extremism.”