Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment 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 posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
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. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or discussed sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
