Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
