Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
