Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
