He accuses the Democratic leaders of obstructing ICE and National Guard deployments in Chicago.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump called for the imprisonment of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, accusing them of obstructing federal immigration enforcement during raids in the city.

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“The mayor of Chicago should be in jail for not protecting ICE agents! Gov. Pritzker also!” the Republican president wrote on his Truth Social account.

Trump had already lashed out Tuesday from the Oval Office against Pritzker and Johnson — both Democrats — highlighting what he described as their “incompetence” in handling “crime issues” in the city.

Tensions between the U.S. president and Chicago authorities have escalated over the past month since the launch of Operation Midway Blitz, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), aimed at “ensuring security” in the Midwestern metropolis.

The raids have resulted in multiple detentions of people of Latino origin, primarily with the goal of deportation, in line with the Republican administration’s hardline immigration policy.

These operations have sparked growing public demonstrations, including an incident Saturday in the South Side area where Border Patrol agents opened fire, injuring a U.S. citizen.

Despite opposition from Mayor Johnson and Gov. Pritzker — who have sued the Trump administration to block its efforts — the president ordered the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops in response to protests against the raids and what he calls “rampant crime” in Chicago.

The text reads, “This isn’t Nazi Germany in 1938. This is Chicago, USA. ICE agents on a manhunt. Trump’s Gestapo.”

Trump also hinted Tuesday that he may invoke the Insurrection Act, one of the government’s most sweeping emergency powers, to justify sending troops to quell protests in Chicago, after previously threatening to do so in Portland, Oregon.

About 200 soldiers sent from Texas are already stationed in Chicago, joined by 300 Illinois-based Guard members preparing to mobilize in the coming days.

Official Chicago Police Department crime statistics show year-over-year declines, with homicides down 28% compared with the same period last year and nearly 50% lower than four years ago.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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