Ex-President Donald J. 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 ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
