Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
