Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
