President Donald Trump has intensified his conflict with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, posting on his Truth Social platform that both officials “should be in jail” for allegedly failing to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
Trump’s comments come amid escalating tensions over his deployment of National Guard troops and federal immigration enforcement operations in Chicago, which local and state leaders strongly oppose.
In his post, Trump wrote, “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!”
Governor Pritzker responded publicly, rejecting the threats as authoritarian. At a rally of federal workers in downtown Chicago, he challenged Trump: “Come and get me.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Johnson also pushed back, accusing Trump of repeated attempts to justify the unjust arrests of Black men, and declaring he has no intention of stepping down.
The controversy unfolds as Texas National Guard troops and additional Illinois National Guard units arrived in the Chicago area to protect federal agents and facilities, despite court challenges and objections from city and state officials.
Illinois and Chicago have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the deployment, claiming the federal action is unconstitutional and an overreach of power.
Legal experts and civil liberties groups have expressed alarm at a sitting president publicly calling for the imprisonment of political rivals without any formal charges or due process.
As the standoff continues, the situation highlights deepening divisions over federal authority, local sovereignty, and the limits of political rhetoric in American democracy.
