Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
