Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers 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 Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
