Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
