Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for example, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
