Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
