Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
