Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite 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 wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
