Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
