Pritzker, Trump trade insults in war of words over ICE, Chicago crime intervention

CHICAGO (WGN) — President Donald Trump is renewing his threat to deploy federal troops to Chicago amid immigration agents ramping up their efforts across the city.

It’s the latest chapter in an ongoing war of words – and insults – between Trump and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, amid a noticeable uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Chicago.

“Chicago is a death trap,” said Trump, signaling that he intended to send the National Guard to the Windy City to fight crime. The president is now stressing he’ll act without a request from Pritzker.

“Now we’re going to Memphis, where it’s pretty rough, to put it mildly. A friend of mine who is a big railroader, he stops in all the cities, he knows every city, he said, ‘Sir, you have to save Chicago. So I’m going to go to Chicago early against Pritzker,” Trump said. “Pritzker’s nothing.”

It’s the second time in as many days that President Trump has mentioned sending the National Guard to Chicago. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is among several frustrated local Democratic leaders pushing back.

“Dr. [Martin Luther] King referred to militarism as a sickness. Unfortunately, this president is full of that sickness,” Johnson said.

Pritzker also slammed Trump.

“He’s attacking verbally. Sometimes he attacks, sending his agents in. Sometimes he forgets. I think he might be suffering from some dementia. The next day, he’ll wake up on the other side of the bed and stop talking about Chicago.”

As ICE agents carry out missions across Illinois, Pritzker said he has noticed a shift in their strategy.

“They seem to be going in with more people than they have over the last couple of weeks,” Pritzker said. “It appears that they were gathering their troops, so to speak. They intend now to operate in a more militarized manner, using ICE instead of the National Guard.”

Mayor Johnson signed an executive order on Tuesday, requiring Chicago police to protect Chicagoans’ rights to protest if federal authorities disrupt lawful demonstrations.

“Today, the city of Chicago affirms that peaceful protest and dissent are essential to public safety, democracy, and civic engagement,” Johnson said.

Governor Pritzker is asking the feds a series of questions he wants answered about their operation in Chicago, including the cost to taxpayers and the timeline of such efforts.