Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
