Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of not safeguarding federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard troops in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities indicated the soldiers would not perform police functions but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action against the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are defying national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned deploying troops to over ten cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the military presence is essential to combat crime and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, according to police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an external threat.
