Trump demands jail for Chicago mayor and Illinois governor over ICE protection
President Donald Trump called for the arrest of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of failing to protect ICE officers amid escalating protests against federal immigration enforcement. The White House released a video on October 8, 2025, criticizing the leaders and highlighting Chicago's crime issues. Tensions have risen with the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to safeguard federal personnel.
The feud between President Trump and Illinois Democratic leaders intensified on October 8, 2025, when the White House posted a social media video slamming Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as 'grossly incompetent' and Governor JB Pritzker for refusing to acknowledge problems in the state. In the video, Trump described Chicago as 'a mess' and linked it to an 'open borders nightmare' that has flooded the country with fentanyl, illicit drugs, and 'some of the worst people on earth,' creating 'the largest law enforcement challenge in our country's history.' He added, 'They need help, badly. Chicago desperately needs help. We don't want to lose Chicago.'
The video included an August audio clip from Pastor Corey Brooks on Fox News, who urged inviting Trump and the National Guard to Chicago, citing 254 deaths in 233 days and calling claims of safety an 'outright lie.' It was released hours after Trump's Truth Social post stating, 'Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!'
This stems from Trump's 'Operation Midway Blitz,' a federal crackdown on violent crime and illegal immigrants launched last month, resulting in over 1,000 arrests in Chicago. The effort has faced violent opposition, including anti-ICE protests in Broadview. Over the weekend, federal agents were rammed and surrounded by 10 vehicles; one driver, 40-year-old Marimar Martinez, who allegedly doxxed agents and threatened them, was armed with a semi-automatic weapon. Agents fired, wounding her; she was later taken into FBI custody. No federal agents were injured.
Chicago Police Department faced accusations of not responding, per internal dispatch logs obtained by Fox News stating 'no units will respond' to the incident involving 30 armed ICE agents surrounded by a crowd. CPD countered that officers arrived for public safety and traffic control, though two senior sources told Fox News the statement was untrue.
After Pritzker refused to deploy Illinois National Guard troops, 200 Texas guardsmen arrived on October 7 for an initial 60-day period to protect federal property. Pritzker responded on X, questioning the move as part of 'full-blown authoritarianism' and vowing not to back down. On October 7, he accused Trump of 'suffering dementia,' saying, 'This is a man who has something stuck in his head. He can’t get it out of his head. He doesn’t read. He doesn’t know anything that’s up to date.' Earlier, on October 5, Pritzker called Chicago a 'war zone' due to federal actions, urging focus on 'the worst of the worst.'
Johnson signed an executive order on October 6 creating 'ICE-free zones,' barring city property and unwilling private businesses from serving as staging grounds for raids. The White House noted 30 people shot and five killed in Chicago the previous week, criticizing local leaders for allowing violence to continue.