Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted 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 refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
