Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
