Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
