Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the arrival of state military troops in the Windy City area following directives from the current government, despite strong objections from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have a Black man unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, military troops from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base approximately 50 miles from the city, as the administration pushes forward with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
Trump has called Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", despite official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with state guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Additional fencing was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed flight restrictions over the military base for security reasons until early December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in the city in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and risky".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning federal immigration agents and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in regions that are failing to suppress an insurrection or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has sent or mentioned deploying military units to over ten cities, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for example, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
