Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 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 "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
