Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
