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 should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance 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, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
