Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
