Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, 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 state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an external threat.
