Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military personnel 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 has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
