Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
