Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
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 recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
