Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
