Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks 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."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
