Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles 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 no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
