CHICAGO (WGN) — With the National Guard en route to Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that he has not heard anything from the Trump administration.
“It’s illegal, unconstitutional. It’s dangerous. It’s wrong,” Johnson said. “This is not about deportation, this is not about safety for this president, this is about authoritarianism.”
The troop deployment is expected to include men and women from the Illinois and Texas National Guards. Texas Governor Gregg Abbott confirmed their mission, prompting a reaction from Johnson.
“The governor of Texas should be worried about Texas,” Johnson said. “Why is he all up in my business?”
Despite Chicago’s year-over-year reductions in crime, including a 60-year low in homicides this summer, President Donald Trump authorized troop deployment.
“Chicago can be very, very safe. It’s gonna be very safe,” Trump stated.
Federal law enforcement officials say resources are needed to guard United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and facilities. The president also argues that the federal government is required to keep residents safe.
“So you have Black women with MAGA hats on in Chicago, all over the place, they want the guard to come in, or they don’t care who comes in, they just want to be safe,” Trump said.
Johnson had a different take.
“It’s interesting because he talks about two Black women who wear red hats, but he’s not talking about the thousands of Black women he has fired,” he said.
In a social media post Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that he, too, would be en route to the Windy City.
“Chicago will be saved, and this FBI will continue to crush violent crime there, and all around the country,” Patel said.
Johnson welcomed Patel’s visit.
“I strongly encourage him to spend as much as he possibly can,” he said. “The city of Chicago has been voted yet again the best big city in America, and he gets to get a front row seat.”
Bracing for federal operations, Johnson has signed multiple executive orders, including ICE-free zones and a requirement that local and federal agents refrain from wearing masks. But whether downtown or on operations on the South and West Sides, ICE and Board Patrol have been wearing masks.
In what is truly uncharted territory, Johnson voiced his desire to see criminal charges brought against federal agents who violate his executive orders; however, it’s unclear who would bring about those charges.
