Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing 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. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops 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 aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including 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 defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
