Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment 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, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings 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 city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
