Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits 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 commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
