Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering 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 federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
