Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of 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 posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance 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 will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others 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 attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
