Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, 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, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
