Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
