Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, 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 military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
