Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
