Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
