Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
