Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
