Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
