Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
