Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
