Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics 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 readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
