Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed 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, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
