Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
