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Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.

"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on social media Wednesday morning. "Governor Pritzker too!"

Both officials identify as the Democratic party.

These remarks come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Windy City area under orders from the federal administration, despite strong objections from state officials including Pritzker and Johnson.

"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have a Black man wrongfully arrested," Johnson responded on that day. "I am staying put."

The governor responded via social platforms, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What remains on the road toward full-blown authoritarianism?"

By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government pushes forward with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.

Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", despite police data indicate significant drops in many offenses, including murders.

That day, two hundred Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials indicated the troops would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.

Soldiers in combat attire with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Trailers were arranged in lines. Extra barriers was placed around the compound.

Aviation authorities ordered flight restrictions over the military base 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 a Chicago suburb.

Earlier this week, Illinois and Chicago 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 the city and state, labeling it "illegal and dangerous".

A court hearing on their case is scheduled for Thursday.

Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day banning ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as staging areas for enforcement actions.

The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "political props" and "pawns".

At a news conference on Tuesday, he said that Trump is trying to "rationalize and make acceptable the deployment of armed soldiers under his direct command."

The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. However, the president has stated he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to send regular army in regions that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.

After beginning his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to combat crime and defend ICE officers.

Data indicates that most violent crime across the US has declined in the past few years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were reduced 31% to 278 through late summer, according to police data.

A recent poll published on that day found that most Americans oppose the sending of military forces without an external threat.