President Donald Trump called for the arrests of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson after deploying 500 National Guard troops to Chicago without state approval to aid ICE operations targeting undocumented immigrants and alleged gang members.
The move led to clashes with protesters, including a priest injured by a pepper ball projectile, and a federal judge ruled some ICE arrests unlawful due to constitutional violations and racial profiling.
Illinois governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson pledged resistance, accusing Trump of authoritarian tactics
Pritzker emphatically stating in a statement: “I will 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?” he queried
He furthered issued a challenge during an interview on MSNBC: “This guy is unhinged. He’s insecure. He’s a wannabe dictator. And there’s one thing I really want to say to Donald Trump…come and get me.”
While Johnson has responded to trump’s call for his arrest with: “This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere.”
While the White House officials discuss invoking the Insurrection Act for broader domestic deployments.
