Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and 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 early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.