Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied 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 complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
