Former 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.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 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 military forces without an external threat.
