Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
