Former President Donald Trump on midweek demanded the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for endangering Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements coincide with the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from Illinois authorities including Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
The governor responded via online channels, stating: "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for imprisonment of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete authoritarianism?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard troops from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 50 miles from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", despite police data indicate notable reductions in many offenses, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard troops were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, according to reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with Texas national guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in the town. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" delivered portable toilets and other supplies. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for security reasons until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in the past month, triggering demonstrations, especially near an processing facility in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "illegal and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also signed an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as staging areas for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."
The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has said he would be willing 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 federal law.
After beginning his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending military units to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and West Coast locations like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, 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, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.
