Ex-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 failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region 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 Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" 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 direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.