Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
