President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to be jailed, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration officers. The statement was posted on Truth Social.
Mayor Brandon Johnson rejected Trump’s demand, writing on X that “this is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere.”
Pritzker also rebuked Trump, saying he “will not back down” and arguing that the president is calling for the arrest of elected officials “checking his power,” according to his post on X.
In a separate post earlier Wednesday, he said recent federal actions were making residents feel they must carry citizenship papers and described what he called an “invasion” of state authority, mentioning military deployments, helicopters at night, and arrests of officials who raise questions, as posted on X. He also told MSNBC, “If you come for my people, you come through me.”
Pritzker had previewed his stance days earlier. On Sunday, Oct. 5, he wrote on X that “we must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s invasion,” warning it began with federal agents and could include federalized Illinois National Guard members and “another state’s military troops.”
On the same day, he urged Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to “withdraw any support for this decision and refuse to coordinate,” arguing there is “no reason a President should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation,” according to his post on X.
Trump’s post did not provide details about incidents involving ICE or any legal basis for his call. Johnson and Pritzker did not indicate policy changes in response to the remarks.
This is a developing story.
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