Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite 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 an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
