Former President Donald Trump on midweek called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, 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 federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering protests, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to send active duty military in regions that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
