Ex-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 endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding 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 wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
