Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
