Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off 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 early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
