Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off 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 military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
