Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
