Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
