Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning 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 "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying 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 armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
