Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
