Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles 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 most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
