Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded 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 endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
