Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
