Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media 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 following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 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 targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court 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 directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
