Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of 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 Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, 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 advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
