Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as 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 am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
