Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
