Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
