Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump 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, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
