Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of state military personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via social platforms, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, state and city initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that the president is trying to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are failing to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten cities, including major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were down 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
