Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president 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 put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
