Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
