Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. 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 imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
