Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region 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 attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president 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 presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
