Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated 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 checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
