Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
