Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
