Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
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 federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
