Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks 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, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
