Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials 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 Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
