Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and 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. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
