Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning 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, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units 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 armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
