Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army 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 California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
