Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
