Ex-President Donald J. Trump on midweek called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted 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 back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What remains on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite official statistics indicate notable reductions in many offenses, including murders.
On Wednesday, two hundred state guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, according to sources. Authorities reportedly stated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard patches were observed at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles marked "Disaster Relief" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
Aviation authorities imposed no-fly zones over the army reserve center for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has escalated deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, sparking protests, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" 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 signed an directive on Monday banning ICE officers and related personnel from using municipal facilities as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged the president of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the deployment of military personnel under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, Trump has said he would be prepared to invoke the emergency powers, which allows a president to send active duty military in states that are unable to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, arguing that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in the past few years. In Chicago, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
