Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of state military troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch regular army in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops 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 essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
