Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker 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 military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
