Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
