Former President Donald J. 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 should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
