President Donald J. Trump condemned Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), calling for their imprisonment over what he described as failures to protect federal immigration enforcement agents. The remarks came as 500 National Guard troops were deployed to Chicago, a move Trump attributed to the leaders’ alleged neglect of public safety.
On Wednesday, Trump took to Truth Social to accuse Johnson and Pritzker of “failing to protect ICE Officers,” demanding their arrest. “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” he wrote. The comments followed a weekend incident in which two suspects were arrested for a vehicle ramming attack on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents in Chicago.
Pritzker, 60, dismissed Trump’s claims as baseless, labeling the former president “a man who’s suffering dementia” and accusing him of being fixated on outdated grievances. The Illinois governor had previously opposed the federalization of 300 National Guard troops, a decision made by the Pentagon over weekend objections. Texas also contributed National Guard units to assist federal agents in the city.
The deployment sparked legal challenges from Illinois officials, who filed lawsuits to block the move. A federal judge is set to rule on the matter Thursday. Meanwhile, Trump’s remarks coincided with the release of two suspects—Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz—from custody pending trial after the attack on DHS agents. According to authorities, Martinez was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and had previously targeted federal agents online.
