Ex-President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"The city's leader should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker too!"
Both officials are members of the Democratic party.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area following directives from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks not the first instance where Trump attempted to have a Black man unjustly detained," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to complete authoritarianism?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood army reserve center, an army base approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its aggressive crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 Texas National Guard members were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks labeled "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has escalated deportation operations in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "illegal and dangerous".
A court hearing on their case is set for Thursday.
The mayor also signed an directive on that day prohibiting ICE officers and others from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying 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 Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to suppress an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, arguing that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In the city, for example, murders were down nearly one-third to 278 through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll released on that day found that the majority of US citizens disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
