Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded 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 elected officials resisting his authority. 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 training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
