Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says President Trump is planning an “invasion” of Chicago.
“It’s clear that, in secret, they’re planning this. Well, it’s an invasion with U.S. troops, if they, in fact, do that,” Mr. Pritzker, a Democrat, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to surge federal officers to Chicago for an immigration crackdown. The operation is expected to last approximately 30 days and is scheduled to begin as early as this week.
The effort comes months after Mr. Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests against an immigration enforcement operation targeting illegal immigrants.
Mr. Trump has teased the idea of sending National Guard troops to Chicago to help combat crime, following their deployment in the District.
The immigration push in Chicago is not expected to involve the National Guard.
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Instead, it will be led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agencies.
Mr. Pritzker, a possible contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, stated that if the administration decides to call on the National Guard, state and city leaders will challenge them in court.
“That is illegal,” he said.
He also described a possible immigrant crackdown as “anti-American” and said it is wrong to target law-abiding immigrants who pay taxes.
The Department of Homeland Security claims that the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles has been effective. More than 5,000 migrants have been arrested there since the crackdown began on June 6.
Mr. Pritzker said federal officials should be coordinating with local law enforcement, but there has been radio silence.
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“They don’t want to do that either, and I must say, it’s disruptive, it’s dangerous,” he said. “It tends to inflame passions on the ground when they don’t let us know what their plans are, and when we can’t coordinate with them.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acknowledged the effort Sunday.
“Well, we’ve already had ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago and throughout Illinois and other states, making sure that we’re upholding our laws,” Ms. Noem said during a separate appearance on “Face the Nation.” “But we do intend to add more resources to those operations.”
“I won’t disclose the details because they are law enforcement and investigative folks that are on the ground there, and I want to make sure we keep their security our number one priority, but we will continue to go after the worst of the worst across the country, like President Trump has told us to do,” she said. “Focusing on those that are perpetrating murder and rape and trafficking of drugs and humans across our country, knowing that every single citizen deserves to be safe.”
