Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, 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, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
