Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
