Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
