Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump 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 essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
