Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
