Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
