Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment 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 posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders 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 federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
