Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units 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 early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
