Desk Report: US president Donald Trump on Wednesday called for jailing the mayor of Chicago and governor of Illinois in an escalation of his extraordinary attacks on political opponents. ‘Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker
also!’ Trump posted on his social media platform. The Republican was referring to Democratic leaders in Illinois who oppose his order for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct aggressive raids in Chicago. Trump’s government has targeted Democratic-run cities around the nation for raids on migrants, often conducted by masked, plainclothes agents. The crackdown fulfills a key promise made by Trump in his election victory last year, where he described the United States as under attack by waves of foreign ‘criminals.’

A parallel anti-crime campaign has been conducted by the military in the cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Opponents describe the ICE and military deployments as a bid by Trump to assert authoritarian powers and to sow chaos by provoking a response.There has been especially strong pushback in Chicago, a Democratic electoral stronghold where 200 National Guard soldiers sent from Texas arrived late Tuesday —against the wishes of local leaders.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced ‘ICE-free zones’ where city-owned property will be declared off-limits to the federal authorities. Johnson accused Republicans of wanting ‘a rematch of the Civil War.’ Illinois governor JB Pritzker, seen as a potential Democratic candidate in the 2028 presidential election, has become one of Trump’s most fiery critics. He has said he wants prosecutors to investigate the legality of ICE activities in Chicago and says Trump is motivated by wanting to ‘punish his political enemies.’