Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
