Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, 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 protect immigration agents.
Data shows that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, per police data.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
