Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"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 social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city 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 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
