Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
