Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he 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 limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
