Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
