Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
