Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 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 most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
