Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
