Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others 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".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
