Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
