Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities 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, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops 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 direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few 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 disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
