Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court 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 scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role 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 regular army in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
