Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
