Tensions between President Trump and Illinois leaders escalated on Saturday when the White House posted an image on social media depicting Mr. Trump with helicopters, billowing flames and the Chicago skyline.
“Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” read the post, titled “Chipocalypse Now,” a reference to the 1979 war movie “Apocalypse Now.”
The threat from the president came after weeks of the Trump administration’s promising to crack down on illegal immigration in Chicago, part of a campaign vow from Mr. Trump to more rigorously enforce immigration laws across the country.
It was uncertain when the escalated effort by Immigration and Customs Enforcement might begin, and officials declined to comment on Saturday afternoon.
Elected officials in Chicago and advocates for immigrants said that they were watching closely for signs of heightened enforcement and that they had not seen anything out of the ordinary. There were no confirmed reports of increased ICE activity in Chicago, said Cassio Mendoza, a spokesman for Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Mr. Johnson, a Democrat, said on social media that Mr. Trump’s latest post was “beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution.”
Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, a Democrat, called the post “not normal.”
”The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city,” he said. “Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
Chicagoans came out in force against Mr. Trump in the city’s downtown on Saturday afternoon, as a demonstration drew thousands of people who protested the prospect of increased ICE arrests and the president’s plan to bring the National Guard into the city.
As he stood among the gathering throng, Scott Smith, 50, said he had weighed whether or not to make the trek from his South Side neighborhood of Morgan Park to attend the rally.
“Honestly, what made me realize I needed to be here was when I saw Trump’s social media post this afternoon,” Mr. Smith said. “I was on the fence, and then I saw he was declaring war on an American city, my city.”
Mr. Smith, who works in local government, said he would support a role for federal support for fighting crime in the city, but he said that any meaningful help would require coordination with city leaders and police.
“Ask the people who know the city best, and they will tell you, what Trump is doing is not helpful,” he said. “It’s creating distrust and disruption, and quite frankly, I think it’s intended to create violence that he can use to justify more intervention.”
Mr. Trump has targeted Chicago for weeks, following large-scale immigration raids in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Protesters also marched in Washington on Saturday, objecting to Mr. Trump’s actions in the district, particularly his seizing control of the Metropolitan Police Department, the first time a president has done so.
“It is not in my nature to sit back and roll over when my rights are being taken and my community is being attacked,” said one organizer, Stephie-Anne Duliepre.
In Chicago, at least 150,000 people in the city of 2.7 million are undocumented, estimates show, making up about 8 percent of households.
In Illinois, ICE has made at least 1,400 immigration arrests since Mr. Trump took office, a much lower rate per capita than in other immigrant-heavy states like New York. More than 1,000 of those arrests have been in the Chicago area.
Legal experts have questioned whether Mr. Trump, who has also sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, would have the authority to send them to Chicago over the governor’s objections.
The anticipated crackdown coincided with a typically raucous time in the city, as celebrations of Mexican Independence Day were to begin. Most Latinos in Chicago are of Mexican descent, and each year thousands attend parades, fly Mexican flags from their cars and form caravans.
Andy Grimm, Robert Chiarito, and Catherine Cheney contributed reporting.
Hamed Aleaziz covers the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy for The Times.
Julie Bosman is the Chicago bureau chief for The Times, writing and reporting stories from around the Midwest.
The post Tensions Mount As Trump Administration Threatens Federal Crackdown in Chicago appeared first on New York Times.
