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 federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
