Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
