Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel 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 commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
