Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents 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".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
