Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military troops in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, 200 state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and government buildings.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off sanitation facilities and essential items. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block 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 "illegal and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for enforcement actions.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic Posse Comitatus Act limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in states that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 urban centers, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down 31% to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on Wednesday found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
