Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and 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 as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
