Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
