Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents 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 put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
