Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, 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," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up 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 early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
