Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
