Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.