Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members 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 their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
