Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
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 direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
