Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused the president of using military forces as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting federal law.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Statistics shows that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
