Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday accused the Trump administration of staging a “military-style invasion” of Chicago, putting concern in residents with “thuggery” ways by immigration brokers and even deploying Black Hawk helicopters to raid an condominium constructing.
Pritzker slammed the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown targeting Chicago simply hours after the state and Metropolis of Chicago filed a lawsuit looking for to dam the federalization and deployment of the Nationwide Guard.
“Let me be clear, Donald Trump is utilizing our service members as political props and as pawns in his unlawful effort to militarize our nation’s cities,” Pritzker mentioned throughout a information convention.
To assist his level, Pritzker performed a video of an ICE raid performed final week on an condominium complicated within the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago he claimed was filmed by federal authorities with high-definition cameras for social media functions. He mentioned it was the identical video Secretary of the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety Kristi Noem posted on social media on Saturday.
“They introduced Black Hawk navy helicopters and greater than 100 brokers in full tactical gear,” Pritzker mentioned.
He added, “At midnight and seemingly for the cameras, armed federal brokers emerged from the Black Hawk helicopters, rappelling onto the roof of that condominium constructing.”
The governor alleged the Trump administration is following a playbook to “trigger chaos, create concern and confusion, make it look like peaceable protesters are a mob by firing fuel pellets and tear fuel canisters at them.”
Tear fuel fills the air after it was utilized by federal legislation enforcement brokers who have been being confronted by neighborhood members and activists for reportedly capturing a girl within the Brighton Park neighborhood on October 4, 2025 in Broadview, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Pictures
“Why? To create the pretext for invoking the Rebellion Act in order that he can ship navy troops to our metropolis,” Pritzker mentioned.
The Division of Homeland Safety issued a press launch on Monday, claiming to debunk a “smorgasbord of lies” advised by the governor.
“Our message to JB Pritzker: Get out of your mansion and see Chicago,” mentioned DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin within the launch. “If J.B. Pritzker really walked the streets of his personal metropolis, he would see home terrorists and violent rioters attacking cops and the scourge of violent crime as a direct results of his personal insurance policies.”
Talking to reporters within the Oval Workplace on Monday afternoon, Trump mentioned he didn’t but see the necessity to use the Rebellion Act, however “if I needed to enact it, I might do it, if folks have been being killed and courts have been holding us up, or governors or mayors have been holding us up.”
White Home deputy chief of workers for coverage Stephen Miller on Monday cited two incidents over the weekend through which protesters rammed the autos of immigration brokers in Chicago, prompting the capturing of 1 protester, who federal authorities alleged was driving one of many autos and was armed.
“The battle that’s going down proper now could be between the lawful train of energy by the American folks via a duly elected authorities versus the illegal train of road violence within the type of home terrorism,” Miller advised reporters on the White Home.
Miller added, “The clearest instance of that is when you may have ICE officers, who’re finishing up the statutes and the legal guidelines of the USA to arrest and take away unlawful aliens, who’re being subjected to violent assaults within the conduct of their duties. That is an instance of illegitimate violence, illegitimate energy within the type of home terrorism getting used to impede the conduct of their official duties.”
In its lawsuit filed on Monday morning, the state of Illinois and the Metropolis of Chicago requested a choose to dam the Trump administration’s deployment of navy troops to Chicago.
“The American folks, no matter the place they reside, shouldn’t stay underneath the specter of occupation by the USA navy, notably not just because their metropolis or state management has fallen out of a president’s favor,” the criticism mentioned.
The foundational precept separating the navy from home affairs is “in peril” as President Trump seeks to deploy the Nationwide Guard to cities across the country, legal professionals for Illinois and Chicago wrote in a lawsuit.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys are asking a federal choose to situation an order blocking any state’s Nationwide Guard from being federalized and deployed to Illinois, arguing the state is being focused as a result of its “management has fallen out of a president’s favor.”
“There isn’t any riot in Illinois. There isn’t any revolt in Illinois. The federal authorities is ready to implement federal legislation in Illinois. The manufactured nature of the disaster is obvious,” in accordance with the 69-page criticism.
Attorneys for Illinois and Chicago argue that Trump has did not justify taking on the Nationwide Guard based mostly on federal legislation — which permits a federalization in response to a revolt or invasion — and violates the Posse Comitatus Act prohibiting using the navy in home legislation enforcement.
Demonstrators confront police throughout a protest exterior an immigrant processing and detention middle, October 3, 2025 in Broadview, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Pictures
“Defendants’ illegal deployment of the Illinois Nationwide Guard, over the objection of the state, is much like the illegal course of conduct they’ve taken in opposition to different disfavored states and cities,” the criticism mentioned.
The lawsuit cites Trump’s social media posts about sending militarized legislation enforcement to Chicago — together with a put up through which he mentioned, “I really like the scent of deportations within the morning” — and his current feedback about utilizing Democratic-led cities “as coaching grounds for our navy.”
The lawsuit comes after a federal choose blocked Trump from sending Nationwide Guard troops to Oregon, the place protesters have gathered in a one-block space surrounding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement constructing in Portland.
Within the ruling issued on Saturday, U.S. District Choose Karin Immergut granted a brief restraining order sought by California and Oregon.
“This nation has a longstanding and foundational custom of resistance to authorities overreach, particularly within the type of navy intrusion into civil affairs,” Immergut wrote.
“This historic custom boils all the way down to a easy proposition: this can be a nation of Constitutional legislation, not martial legislation,” the choose mentioned.
Immergut, who Trump appointed to the U.S. District Court docket for the District of Oregon throughout his first time period, issued the ruling a day after Trump licensed the deployment of 300 Illinois Nationwide Guard troops to Chicago to guard federal officers and federal property within the metropolis.
Trump has described each Portland and Chicago as being overrun by violence and unrest. He has characterised each cities as “conflict zones.”
However the governors of each Oregon and Chicago have countered that Trump has vastly exaggerated the violence in these cities to justify his actions.
A federal legislation enforcement brokers confronts demonstrators from the turret of an armored automobile throughout a protest exterior an immigrant processing and detention middle on Oct. 3, 2025, in Broadview, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Pictures
Amid escalating tensions in Chicago over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol brokers on Saturday shot and wounded a woman they alleged was a part of a convoy of protesters that rammed their autos throughout an “ambush.”
Division of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned Border Patrol brokers opened fireplace on the lady in self-defense, alleging she was armed with a semiautomatic weapon and was driving certainly one of three autos that “cornered” and rammed the CBP brokers’ autos.
In a second incident in Chicago on Saturday, a person was taken into custody after he allegedly rammed a CBP automobile in an try to run it off the highway, in accordance with the DHS.
Trump ignited a disagreement with Illinois and Chicago leaders in early September when he prompt sending Nationwide Guard troops to the Windy Metropolis, saying in a social media put up, “Chicago is about to search out out why it is known as the Division of Battle.”
Within the put up, Trump added, “I really like the scent of deportations within the morning,” a nod to the often-quoted line “I really like the scent of napalm within the morning” from the conflict movie “Apocalypse Now.”
Trump initially insisted that he was ready for Chicago officers to ask for the federal authorities’s assist earlier than sending within the Nationwide Guard.
Federal legislation enforcement brokers stand guard as they’re confronted by neighborhood members and activists for reportedly capturing a girl within the Brighton Park neighborhood on October 4, 2025 in Broadview, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Pictures
Pritzker made clear in a September information convention that he wouldn’t make such a request, telling reporters, “When did we turn out to be a rustic the place it is okay for the U.S. president to insist on nationwide tv {that a} state ought to name him to beg for something, particularly one thing we do not need?”
On Monday morning, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an govt order creating “ICE Free Zones” within the metropolis.
The mayor’s order prohibits federal immigration brokers from utilizing city-owned property of their immigration enforcement. The order additionally invitations native enterprise house owners and neighborhood organizations to hitch the town’s effort to “safeguard our communities, whereas advancing measures to rein within the reckless conduct of federal immigration brokers.”
“With this Government Order, Chicago stands agency in defending the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy,” Johnson mentioned in an announcement.
“We is not going to tolerate ICE brokers violating our residents’ constitutional rights nor will we enable the federal authorities to ignore our native authority. ICE brokers are detaining elected officers, tear-gassing protestors, youngsters, and Chicago cops, and abusing Chicago residents,” Johnson mentioned. “We is not going to stand for that in our metropolis.”
Miller mentioned Johnson’s govt order is the most recent instance of Democrat politicians refusing the condemn the assaults on federal brokers.
“The mayor of Chicago has not solely did not condemn the violent, obstructive acts in opposition to ICE and legislation enforcement, however within the aftermath of two coordinated tried murders of ICE officers via automobile ramming assaults, he issued a no go zone for ICE officers,” Miller mentioned.
