Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" 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 armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
