Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
