Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration 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 protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
