Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed '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 issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
