Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" 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 direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
