Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
