Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation roughly 50 miles from Chicago, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
Military personnel in combat attire with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Vehicles marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered sanitation facilities and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'Battle'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "justify and make acceptable the deployment of military personnel under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to dispatch regular army in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are defying federal law.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or discussed deploying troops to at least 10 urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans 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 shows that serious offenses across the US has decreased in the past few years. In the city, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, per police data.
A recent poll released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the sending of troops without an foreign danger.
