Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as 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, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
