Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next 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 administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
