Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
