Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
