Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
