Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and 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 his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
