Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits 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 states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
