Trump Calls for Jailing of Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor
The president in a social-media post says Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker have failed to protect ICE
Updated Oct. 8, 2025 The Wall Street Journal
President Trump escalated his battle with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, saying the Democratic leaders should be imprisoned for failing to protect ICE officers.
“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!,” Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social.
The White House and the offices of Johnson and Pritzker didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been carrying out raids in Chicago that have led to protests in the city. The Trump administration has responded by federalizing the National Guard in Illinois, drawing criticism from Democratic elected officials in the state.
Wednesday’s social-media post follows some especially sharp words from Pritzker late Tuesday. Speaking at an event in Minneapolis, the Illinois governor said this when asked why the president is mobilizing the National Guard: “He’s out of his mind and has dementia.”
Pritzker, speaking at the Minnesota Star Tribune’s North Star Summit, added that Trump’s actions are a precursor to trying to intimidate Democratic voters ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
In response, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said Trump has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets.
Roughly 500 soldiers—300 from the Illinois National Guard and 200 from Texas—are present in the greater Chicago area, according to U.S. Northern Command. The Illinois National Guard is still being “spun up” because the Texas National Guard had been federalized earlier, Pritzker said.
Trump has sparred with several Democratic-led states over his efforts to deploy troops on U.S. soil, citing a need to protect immigration officials and manage crime. He told reporters Tuesday: “Chicago’s a great city, but you can’t be a great city if you have murders and if you have a lot of problems, and they do.”
The National Guard can’t carry out arrests but might temporarily detain individuals deemed an imminent safety threat and hand them off to police. Northern Command said the troops in Illinois will be tasked with protecting federal workers and property.
Local officials have said that Trump is overdramatizing concern about violent crime, which they report has been falling in large cities over the past decade, and that federal intervention will only worsen the situation. Illinois and Chicago have filed a lawsuit to block troop deployments.
Updates to follow as news develops.
Write to Joseph De Avila at joseph.deavila@wsj.com and John McCormick at mccormick.john@wsj.com