Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment 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 ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
