Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
