Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
