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 ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
