Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
