Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 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 police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is trying to "justify and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops to over ten urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
