Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
