Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
