Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
