Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed sending military units to at least 10 cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
