Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
