Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
