Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
