Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
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 personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
