Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
