Trump Calls for Jailing of Illinois Leaders Over Immigration Policies

Mon Oct 20 2025 18:34:28 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a controversial social media post, President Trump suggests that Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should face jail time for their opposition to his National Guard deployment aimed at cracking down on crime and immigration in Chicago.

In a *Truth Social* post on Wednesday, President Donald Trump accused Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of failing to support immigration enforcement efforts, urging that they should be jailed. Both Democratic officials defiantly rejected Trump's assertion, indicating Trump's escalating rhetoric could veer into authoritarian territory. This dispute comes amid an aggressive immigration operation in Chicago, despite a lawsuit challenging Trump's National Guard troop deployment in the area.

WASHINGTON (PulseWire News) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, should be jailed over their resistance to his deployment of National Guard troops aimed at addressing immigration enforcement and crime issues in Chicago. The officials are standing firm in their stance against what they view as an overreach of authority.

In a social media message on Truth Social, Trump stated, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers! This remark represents a marked departure from traditional presidential discourse, as the Justice Department typically maintains an operational distance from political pressure.

The exact reasons behind Trump's accusations remain unclear, and the White House has not provided an immediate response to inquiries regarding the remarks.

Mayor Johnson took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to respond, writing, This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere. Additionally, Governor Pritzker expressed his indignation, asserting, 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?

Despite state and city lawsuits seeking to halt Trump's deployment of Texas National Guard troops around Chicago, their mission remains unspecified amid ongoing immigration operations in the city. Trump's comments about Chicago being a hell hole of crime are met with substantial counterarguments from local officials who highlight substantial decreases in crime rates.

Recent tensions escalated as a woman was shot by a Border Patrol agent following an altercation involving her vehicle near a detention center in the Chicago area.