Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
