Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration 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 ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," 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 democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
