Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" 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.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
