Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents 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, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops 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 fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
