Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president 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, 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, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
