President Donald Trump has demanded the jailing of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers during raids in the city.
Trump made the call in a social media post, stating that the Democratic officials "should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!"
The remarks come amid rising tensions between the Republican president and Democratic leaders in sanctuary cities, as National Guard troops deploy to support immigration crackdowns.
Previously, Trump has labeled Chicago a "war zone" in the context of protests against these enforcement actions.
Pritzker has characterized the president's approach as "authoritarian."
The arrival of hundreds of National Guard troops in Chicago marks part of a broader federal response to what Trump describes as "out of control" crime.
Similar deployments have occurred in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., with additional directives for Memphis, Tennessee.
A judge has blocked the troops from entering Portland, Oregon, for now.
Illinois and Chicago officials filed a lawsuit on Monday to halt the Chicago deployment, with a hearing set for Thursday.
Trump has warned of invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy the military if courts or local leaders obstruct these efforts.
"If I had to enact it, I'd do it, if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up," Trump said on Monday.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller criticized opposing court rulings, calling them "an insurrection against the laws and Constitution of the United States."
In Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit last month, arguing the deployment is "not only unnecessary and unwanted, but it is also dangerous and harmful to the District and its residents."
Local leaders have pushed back forcefully.
Chicago Mayor Johnson responded, saying "this is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I'm not going anywhere."
Governor Pritzker added, "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?"
Protests in Chicago turned violent last weekend, with immigration authorities reporting that officers opened fire on a woman after she and others allegedly rammed vehicles into law enforcement cars.
The woman drove herself to a hospital, and her condition remains unclear.
Her attorney has disputed the government's account of the incident.
Trump is scheduled to host a roundtable on Wednesday afternoon focused on combating Antifa, a loosely organized coalition of far-left activists.