Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of 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 Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities 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 that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect 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 "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
