In a dramatic escalation of his controversial immigration crackdown, former U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday publicly called for the jailing of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, accusing them of obstructing federal immigration operations.
The statement came just one day after 200 armed troops from Texas arrived in Illinois, marking the latest aggressive move in Trump’s intensified campaign to enforce deportations through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, has now become a central battleground in this enforcement drive. Masked ICE agents have been conducting surprise raids in major Democratic-led cities, sparking fear among immigrant communities and igniting protests outside federal buildings.
“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
His demand for legal action against political opponents is not new, but this call reignited debates over authoritarian overreach, especially as legal observers and civil rights groups condemned the rhetoric as dangerous.
The former president also hosted a White House roundtable focusing on Antifa and other left-wing protest groups, featuring right-leaning independent journalists who claimed to have been assaulted at demonstrations. Trump labeled Antifa a “terrorist organization,” despite its loosely structured identity.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, echoing Trump’s hardline tone, compared Antifa to Hamas, calling them “just as dangerous” and accusing them of plotting to dismantle American society.
Meanwhile, local leadership is pushing back hard. Governor Pritzker, a potential Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential race, accused Trump of overstepping constitutional limits.
“I will not back down,” Pritzker declared. “This is not leadership. It’s coercion. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism? We must all stand up and speak out.”
Mayor Johnson, for his part, announced the creation of “ICE-free zones” on city property, stating that his administration would not cooperate with what he described as “militarized raids on our communities.”
In an emotional statement, Johnson added, “This is more than politics—this is about people, families, and the soul of our city. What kind of America do we want to be?”
As Trump continues pushing for harsher immigration enforcement and threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act if blocked by courts or local governments, civil liberties advocates warn of a slippery slope toward authoritarian governance.
In a country that prides itself on democracy and freedom, the question now is not just about immigration policy—but about the very values that define the American experience.
