Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
