Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
