Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly 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 risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
