Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
