Trump calls for the mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois to be arrested

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump called for the arrest of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, both of whom belong to the opposition Democratic Party.

His administration is also preparing to deploy military units on the streets of Chicago, the third-largest city in the US. Trump justifies this move with the aim of curbing crime.

On his social media account, the president said Johnson and Pritzker had “failed to protect ICE officials.” Neither politician has yet commented on the allegations.

Hundreds of members of the Texas National Guard have already arrived in the Chicago area, despite resistance from local Democratic Party representatives. Trump plans to extend the deployment to other cities and describes the operations as possible “training missions” for the armed forces.

According to a poll conducted by Ipsos for Reuters, the majority of Americans reject the use of the military in the absence of an external threat.

Governor Pritzker accused the president of stirring up tensions. The state of Illinois has filed a lawsuit to stop the military deployment, but a federal court has allowed the operation to continue for the time being.

(reuters, sie)