Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive 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 military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including 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 defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
