Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
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 the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
