Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek 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 belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base 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 "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker 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 military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, 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 fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
