Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
