Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded 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 Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
