WASHINGTON, October 8, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked new controversy by calling for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to be jailed, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
Neither Johnson nor Pritzker faces any criminal charges. Both are prominent Democratic critics of Trump’s immigration policies and his plan to deploy National Guard troops in major U.S. cities with Democratic leadership.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump wrote:
“The Mayor of Chicago should be in jail for not protecting ICE officers! Same for Governor Pritzker!”
The statement came as hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers gathered near Chicago, despite local opposition. Trump has warned he may send troops to other cities as well, claiming it would serve as “training grounds for our armed forces.”
Mayor Johnson recently signed an executive order declaring Chicago an “ICE-Free Zone”, barring federal immigration agents from using city facilities. In response, Johnson said:
“This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to unjustly target a Black leader. I’m not going anywhere.”
Governor Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, denounced Trump’s comments, calling them a sign of “creeping authoritarianism.”
“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected officials who stand in his way. What’s next?” he asked.
Trump’s administration has also opened investigations against several of his political opponents, including former FBI Director James Comey, who faces trial on charges widely criticized as politically motivated.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a majority of Americans oppose deploying military troops domestically in the absence of an external threat. Despite this, Trump insists his goal is to “stop crime in America.”
Local officials have countered that violent crime has been declining in most U.S. cities since the pandemic, and protests against Trump’s immigration measures have been mostly peaceful.
Federal courts remain divided over the legality of Trump’s troop deployments — with one judge allowing the Chicago deployment to proceed while another blocked similar actions in Portland.
As tensions rise, Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used law last applied during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, to override judicial rulings and expand his federal authority.
