Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
