Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit 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.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
