Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
