Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base 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 "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
