Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker 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 attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
