Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed 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, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
