President Trump on Wednesday called for the arrest of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration enforcement agents.
“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers!” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Governor Pritzker also!”
The remarks came after National Guard troops from Texas began assembling in Illinois, part of the administration’s effort to crack down on crime and bolster immigration enforcement in Chicago.
Mr. Pritzker and other local officials have strongly opposed the deployment, warning that the presence of troops could escalate tensions amid protests against ousting migrants.
Illinois and Chicago have filed lawsuits seeking to block the federal deployment.
Mr. Pritzker condemned Mr. Trump’s actions in a Tuesday interview with the Chicago Tribune, saying, “This is a man who’s suffering dementia.”
The governor added, “This is a man who has something stuck in his head. He can’t get it out of his head. He doesn’t read. He doesn’t know anything that’s up to date. It’s just something in the recesses of his brain that is effectuating to have him call out these cities.
“And then, unfortunately, he has the power of the military, the power of the federal government to do his bidding, and that’s what he’s doing.”
Mr. Trump argued that the deployment is necessary to support immigration enforcement and safeguard federal facilities.
He previously tried a similar National Guard deployment in Portland, Oregon, but was blocked by a federal restraining order.
On Tuesday, Trump suggested he might invoke the Insurrection Act to bypass legal obstacles and expand troop deployments nationwide.
“It’s been invoked before,” he said.
SEE ALSO: National Guard arrives in Illinois as Trump pursues crime crackdown
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.