Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
