Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
