Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration 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 failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
