Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center 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 "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
