Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning 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, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
