Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
