Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including homicides.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has sent or discussed sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
