Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
