Former President Donald J. 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 should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
