Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 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 fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
