Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
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 "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
