Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military forces preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the soldiers would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused the president of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying troops to over ten cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime nationwide has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for example, homicides were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an external threat.
