Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property 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 the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
