Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
