Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "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 flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
