Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
