Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
