Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
