Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
