Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas 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 disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
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 Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 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.
