Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities 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 the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
