Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for 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 ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
