Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans 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 indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
