Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" 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 direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
