Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including 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 Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
