Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, per sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed sending military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
