President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should be jailed, criticizing their opposition to his administration’s recent federal law enforcement actions and immigration operations in Chicago, as reported by The Independent Journal Review.
Trump made the comments in a social media post, writing, “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] Officers! Governor Pritzker also!”
( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post )
( Donald J. Trump – Oct 08, 2025, 8:19 AM ET )Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also! pic.twitter.com/K2UsicM4bs
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) October 8, 2025
His statement comes amid escalating tensions between federal authorities and Illinois state and local officials over the President’s decision to deploy National Guard forces to assist with federal immigration enforcement.
On Monday, both the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago filed lawsuits seeking to block Trump’s federalization of state National Guard units for use in ongoing law enforcement operations.
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The move follows a memorandum signed Sunday ordering up to 300 members of the Illinois National Guard to be placed under federal command, along with 400 additional troops from Texas, to assist in Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and other cities identified as needing reinforcement.
According to court filings, the deployments are part of a broader operation to strengthen federal immigration enforcement and control violent protests near government facilities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of War coordinated the deployment as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” a federal initiative launched early last month to target illegal immigration and related criminal activity in Chicago.
Since the operation began, there have been multiple confrontations involving protesters, ICE officers, and journalists near federal buildings and detention facilities in Illinois.
DHS officials requested assistance from National Guard personnel after ICE facilities in Chicago experienced disruptions and vandalism during demonstrations.
Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson have publicly condemned the President’s actions, calling them federal overreach. Both leaders have also expressed strong opposition to the expanded immigration raids taking place in the city.
In a joint statement released earlier this week, they vowed to “protect Illinois families and residents from unlawful federal intrusion.”
President Trump has criticized the two Democrats for what he described as their failure to maintain order and support law enforcement. In recent weeks, he has called both Pritzker and Johnson “incompetent” and accused them of undermining federal immigration enforcement.
The lawsuits filed by Illinois and Chicago argue that the President’s orders violate state sovereignty and the authority of local governments. Federal officials maintain that the deployments are lawful and necessary to ensure public safety and protect federal property.
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security have not released further statements on the ongoing legal challenges. Both the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the city’s legal department confirmed that the cases are pending in federal court.
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