Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
