Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area 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 attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
