Former President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
That day, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or discussed deploying military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
