Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action against the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
