October 8, 2025
CHICAGO — President Donald Trump escalated tensions with Democratic officials on Wednesday, calling for the imprisonment of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as his administration moves forward with deploying National Guard troops to the city.
The move, part of a broader federal effort Trump says is aimed at restoring public safety, drew immediate backlash from state and local leaders who accuse the president of overreach and political intimidation. Hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers have reportedly assembled at a staging site near Chicago, despite objections from state authorities.
“The mayor of Chicago should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers — Governor Pritzker too,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.
Both Johnson and Pritzker have denounced the deployments as unconstitutional, vowing to challenge them in court. Earlier this week, a federal judge allowed the mobilization to proceed temporarily, while another judge blocked similar actions in Portland, Oregon.
The controversy comes as former FBI Director James Comey — a frequent Trump critic — faces criminal charges in a case many legal experts say lacks solid grounding. Comey’s prosecution marks the first against a high-profile political adversary since Trump returned to office.
Trump’s critics say his threats to jail opponents echo authoritarian rhetoric, while supporters argue he is fulfilling his promise to crack down on crime and immigration violations.
According to recent polling, most Americans oppose the use of military force in U.S. cities absent a national emergency. Despite that, Trump has defended the deployments as necessary “training operations” that double as crime-reduction measures.
Violent crime rates have been trending downward in most major cities since peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to official data. Local officials say recent protests against federal immigration enforcement have been largely peaceful.
Governor Pritzker accused the White House of “stoking unrest to justify militarization,” adding that Illinois “will not be bullied into submission.”
The standoff marks the latest flashpoint in a growing feud between the Trump administration and Democratic leaders in several states — one that is testing the limits of federal authority over domestic security.
