Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. 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 army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
