Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set 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.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
