Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
