Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
