Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents 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 back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
