Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
