Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders 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, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
