Chicago – October 09, 2025
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued a defiant response on Wednesday after President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of Chicago’s Democratic leadership, posting that Mayor Brandon Johnson and Pritzker “should be in jail” for failing to protect federal immigration officers.
The president’s remarks came amid intensifying clashes between protesters and ICE agents in Broadview, Illinois, and legal efforts by state officials to block Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.
Pritzker posted on X, “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?”
The governor continued, “His masked agents already are grabbing people off the street. Separating children from their parents. Creating fear. Taking people for ‘how they look.’ Making people feel they need to carry citizenship papers. Invading our state with military troops. Sending in war helicopters in the middle of the night. Arresting elected officials asking questions. We must all stand up and speak out.”
The Trump administration and Pritzker have frequently clashed over the deployment of the National Guard in Chicago. Trump said the city has high crime rates, which Pritzker denies. Police statistics show significant drops in most crimes, including homicides.
The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday.
“Illinois is taking the Trump Administration to court for their unlawful and unconstitutional deployment of military troops to our state,” Pritzker said on X.
