Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
