Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
