Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
