Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite 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," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "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?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
