Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, 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?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order 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 the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
