Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
