Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
