Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 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 wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, 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 National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
