Illinois Governor JB Pritzker reacted strongly to a social media post by President Donald Trump that showed helicopters flying over Chicago, with an image of Trump in a cowboy hat and flames behind him, accompanied by captions reading, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning…”, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of War”, and “Chipocalypse Now”.
The Governor called the post a threat and said it was “not normal” for a president to suggest going to war with an American city. The post comes after thousands of people marched in Washington, DC, and Chicago protesting the deployment of National Guard troops and federal immigration agents to cities led by Democrats.
Trump’s directives signal that federal authorities are preparing a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago. This has caused concern among Latino residents, prompting some to carry identification at all times, while others are reconsidering public celebrations for the upcoming Mexican Independence Day.
Although full details of Trump’s plan remain unclear, opposition has grown, reaching into surrounding suburbs. City and state officials have stated their intention to sue the Trump administration over these actions.
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Protests in Washington, DC
Last month, Trump sent troops to Washington, DC as part of an unprecedented federal intervention in the capital. Protesters marched over two miles from Meridian Hill Park to Freedom Plaza near the White House under the slogan “END THE DC OCCUPATION” to condemn the fourth week of National Guard troops and federal agents patrolling the city streets.
The “We Are All D.C.” demonstration appeared to be the most organised protest against Trump’s federal involvement in Washington. The president defended the deployment as a measure to address crime and homelessness, even though city officials have reported that violent crime is currently lower than it was during Trump’s first term.
The presence of armed troops in the streets has created tension across the city and sparked weeks of protests, especially in residential neighbourhoods. Mark Fitzpatrick, a former US diplomat who has lived in DC for ten years, expressed concern over what he called the “authoritarian nature” of these actions, adding that residents are disadvantaged because they do not have full federal representation.
He said, “We don’t have our own senators or members of the House of Representatives, so we’re at the mercy of a dictator like this, a wanna-be dictator.”
Trump’s attention turned to Washington after previously deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier this summer, during a period of increased immigration enforcement and protests.
The federal government’s control over DC allowed Trump to promote his tough-on-crime policies in a city that reports directly to federal authorities. The emergency order giving Trump authority over DC police is scheduled to end on Wednesday.
