Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits 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 failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
