Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
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 federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
