Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
