Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
