Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted 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 placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
