Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
