Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
