Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role 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 send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
