Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
