Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered 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, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
