Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
