Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought 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. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying 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 California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
