Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
