Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
