Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans 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 declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
