Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge 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 case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
