Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
