Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 state guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration 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 demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused 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 normalize the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
