Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with 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 Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
