Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going 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's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
