Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
