Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago 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 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
