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 federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing 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 Posse Comitatus Act restricts 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 suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
