Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
