Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next 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, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
