Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
