Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the incarceration 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 his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure federal immigration agents and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their case is set for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of troops without an external threat.
