Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not yield. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their case is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to police data.
A recent poll published on Wednesday revealed that most Americans disapprove of the sending of troops without an external threat.
