Former 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 endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled 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 staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
