Trump says Chicago mayor, Illinois governor ‘should be in jail’ for failing to protect ICE officers

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump intensified his feud with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, saying both Democratic leaders “should be in jail.”

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president’s remarks came a day after Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois, defying opposition from state and city officials. Trump has, for weeks, threatened to deploy federalized troops to Chicago, describing it as part of his crackdown on violent crime and illegal immigration—a move Democrats have denounced.

Trump targets Chicago leaders over ICE clash

Trump’s comments followed days of mounting tensions between federal authorities and Democratic city leaders. The White House has accused Chicago officials of obstructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, while Johnson and Pritzker have vowed to defend what they describe as their residents’ constitutional rights.

FBI Director Kash Patel visited Chicago, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Portland on Tuesday, October 7. Both cities have become flashpoints in the administration’s effort to deploy federal forces amid escalating tensions over immigration enforcement and protest crackdowns. 

Illinois leaders slam Trump’s ICE threats, vow to defend state rights

In response to Trump’s threat, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker shot back.

Pritzker said he will not back down. “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?” he posted on X. 

“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,” he said, adding that “we must all stand up and speak out.”

Johnson said he is not going anywhere. “This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere.”

State lawsuit accuses Trump of political motive in Chicago troop move

On October 6, Illinois filed a lawsuit seeking to block the deployment of federalized National Guard troops, arguing that the president is overstepping his authority.

A federal judge in Chicago gave the Trump administration until midnight on Wednesday, October 8, to respond to Illinois’ lawsuit but declined to immediately block the deployment. Judge April Perry scheduled a hearing on the case for Thursday, October 9.

The Illinois complaint claims the deployment is politically motivated and unlawful, stating, “These advances in President Trump’s long-declared ‘War on Chicago and Illinois’ are unlawful and dangerous.”

“The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” the lawsuit adds.

Trump has maintained that the troops are necessary to combat violent crime in Chicago and to protect federal immigration agents in the city, which has sanctuary policies limiting cooperation with ICE.

White House defends move as ‘protection of federal assets’

The White House has defended its actions, saying National Guard troops are being deployed to “protect federal assets and personnel” and to prevent “attacks on law enforcement.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sharply criticized a federal judge for halting the Trump administration’s plan to send National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the ruling “untethered in reality and in the law.”

“The president has the right to call up the National Guard in cases where he deems it appropriate,” Leavitt told reporters during a press briefing.

Trump suggested he could invoke the Insurrection Act if federal courts continue to block his administration’s efforts to send National Guard units into cities facing unrest. The Insurrection Act is a centuries-old law that allows a president to deploy US troops on American soil.

“So far it hasn’t been necessary, but we have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were being killed, and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that,” he said.