Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel preparing to mobilize, per sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Data shows that most violent crime nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through August, according to police data.
New survey data published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
