Former President Donald J. 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 failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
