Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
