Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Now Trump is demanding arrests of elected officials resisting his authority. What remains on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, according to reports. Authorities indicated the troops would avoid police functions but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel in combat attire with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were set up in rows. Extra barriers was placed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, sparking protests, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit against the federal government, attempting to halt the military dispatch, urging a federal judge to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has charged the president of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on Tuesday, he said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The historic federal law restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has said he would be prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act, which permits a commander-in-chief to send active duty military in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.
Since starting his new administration, Trump has sent or discussed sending military units to over ten urban centers, such as Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is essential to combat crime and protect ICE officers.
Statistics indicates that most violent crime across the US has decreased in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, murders were reduced 31% to 278 through August, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that the majority of US citizens oppose the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
