Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, 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 National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
