Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
