Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed sending military units 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 fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
