Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying troops to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
