Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown 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 advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
