Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard 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 not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying troops to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
