Chicago Democrat Blasts Gov. Pritzker For Endangering Citizens with His Blocking of ICE Raids [WATCH]

Chicago Democratic Alderman Raymond Lopez publicly criticized Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on Friday over his opposition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations targeting illegal immigrants involved in criminal activity.

Lopez voiced concerns about a “disconnect” between the governor’s policies and the safety concerns of Chicago residents.

Lopez’s remarks came during an interview with Sandra Smith on Fox News’ America Reports.

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He addressed Governor Pritzker’s resistance to ICE’s enforcement actions, which resumed under directives from former President Donald Trump aimed at prioritizing the deportation of illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes.

Lopez highlighted the stark contrast between local community safety needs and the rhetoric coming from state leaders.

“You know, there’s an incredible disconnect [between] what I hear from our governor, from our mayor, and individuals who live in the communities like the ones that I represent that have high immigration, high immigrant populations,” Lopez said.

He explained the need to differentiate between law-abiding immigrants and those who commit crimes.

“We know there’s a difference between those individuals, the anchors that the governor referred to, and those that choose to engage in dangerous criminal activity. They endanger the undocumented. They endanger the citizens. They endanger our own people.”

Lopez pointed to his discussions with Donald Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan, noting that ICE and the Trump administration were focused on targeting individuals engaged in criminal behavior.

“They need to be dealt with very specifically and swiftly, and the Trump administration is doing that in the first week in office,” he said.

Governor Pritzker has been vocal in his criticism of ICE operations, arguing that enforcement actions disproportionately affect law-abiding immigrants.

“How can you say that we’re overreacting somehow? They’re the ones that are threatening people, again, who are law-abiding, who are often the anchors of their communities, who are paying taxes in this country,” Pritzker said in a recent statement.

Chicago has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to provide housing, food, and clothing for over 35,000 migrants transported to the city, according to a Fox News report from February.

However, the surge in migrant arrivals has sparked protests and legal challenges from Chicago residents.

In 2023, residents in predominantly black neighborhoods took legal action to block the city from converting closed-down schools and other facilities into migrant housing, according to ABC7 Chicago.

Chicago’s sanctuary city policies have also drawn criticism. Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson has vowed not to cooperate with ICE efforts to deport illegal immigrants charged with crimes.

Johnson’s stance aligns with a broader pushback from Democratic officials in sanctuary cities, even as cities like Chicago and New York struggle to manage the influx of illegal aliens.

Many of these migrants have been bussed to northern cities by Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas and former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, who launched the initiative in 2022 to highlight the challenges of border states.

Lopez, however, called for a more balanced approach to immigration enforcement.

“We should not be giving sanctuary to sexual predators. We should not be helping those who want to use guns to kill people and have, in fact, killed people,” Lopez said.

He emphasized that protecting the vast majority of law-abiding immigrants should not mean shielding those who engage in criminal acts.

“There’s a very common-sense approach by doing both—going after the 2% dangerous while protecting the 98% that are not.”

Lopez also expressed frustration with fellow Democrats, including Mayor Johnson, who oppose efforts to revise sanctuary city policies.

“Sadly, some in my party, like my mayor, refuse to get with the program, but I think time will prove us right in the long run,” he said.

As debates over immigration policies continue, Lopez’s remarks highlight growing divisions within the Democratic Party over balancing public safety with progressive immigration priorities.

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