Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
