Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including 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 anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
