Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
