Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel 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 prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying troops to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
