Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
