Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials 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 Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending troops to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
