Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize 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, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans 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.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
