Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" 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 deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
