Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
