Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
