Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
