Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize 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, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
