Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as 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 anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to at least 10 cities, 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 protect immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
