Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
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 vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied 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 autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
