Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"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 anywhere."
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 path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
