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.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump wrote on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of state military personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from state officials such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives checking his power. What's next on the road toward full-blown autocracy?"
As of midweek, military troops from Texas had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would secure ICE officers and government buildings.
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 essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the army reserve center for security reasons until early December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they call "Trump's long-declared 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an executive order on Monday banning federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The historic federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his new administration, the president has sent or mentioned sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is essential to fight violence and defend ICE officers.
Data indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, per law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.
