Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
