Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
