Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is 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, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
