Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
