Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy 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, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an immigration center 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 describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
