Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for 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 endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
