Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
