Washington DC - President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for jailing the mayor of Chicago and governor of Illinois in an escalation of his authoritarian attacks on political opponents.

"Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!" Trump posted on his social media platform.

The Republican was referring to Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who oppose violent ICE raids and the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago.

The Trump administration has targeted Democratic-run cities around the nation, among them Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Memphis.

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There has been especially strong pushback in Chicago, a Democratic electoral stronghold where 200 National Guard soldiers sent from Texas arrived late Tuesday – against the wishes of local leaders.

Johnson has announced "ICE-free zones" where city-owned property will be declared off-limits to the federal authorities and accused Republicans of wanting "a rematch of the Civil War."

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, seen as a potential Democratic candidate in the 2028 presidential election, has become one of Trump's most fiery critics.

He has said he wants prosecutors to investigate the legality of ICE activities in Chicago and accused Trump of being motivated by a desire to "punish his political enemies."

Trump has faced other setbacks. A federal judge in Oregon blocked Trump's bid to deploy troops in Portland, saying his descriptions of an emergency there were false and that the US is a "nation of Constitutional law, not martial law."

The 79-year-old responded by hinting he could invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act to force deployments of troops around the country if courts or local officials are "holding us up."