Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) expressed his opposition to President Trump’s recent immigration initiative during a visit to Chicago on Monday, noting that his office had received no prior notice from the administration.
“We haven’t gotten any formal communication or information from Trump’s team. Much like the public and the media, we find out about their actions through social media,” he stated.
He further remarked, “As Trump himself said, this isn’t really about addressing serious crime or needing immigration reform. It’s more about his plan to, I suppose, go after Chicago, which is America’s third-largest city.”
Operation Midway Blitz, which was initiated on Monday, is part of a broader national effort targeting illegal immigration in sanctuary cities. Federal law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has already begun operations in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and most recently, Boston.
Trump hinted at this campaign over the weekend on social media, commenting humorously on “the smell of morning deportation” and posting a digitally altered image of himself while questioning why Chicago is referred to as the “Department of War.”
“This isn’t a battle against crime; it demands collaboration and support. But frankly, I haven’t sensed that in recent weeks,” Pritzker wrote on the platform X.
Pritzker has increasingly criticized Trump since his return to the White House, particularly in light of the potential deployment of the National Guard.
“If he genuinely cared about finding real solutions for Illinois, we would have heard from him,” commented a spokesperson for Pritzker regarding Trump.
Over the weekend, Pritzker also shared a “Know Your Rights” pamphlet in various languages, urging bystanders to document and share any arrest-related incidents.
On Sunday, Trump claimed he wouldn’t “go to war” with Chicago but instead aimed to “clean up our city.”
He added, “We aim to ensure they don’t cause five deaths every weekend. It’s not war; it’s just sensible.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its operations in Chicago in memory of Katie Abraham, a victim of a drunk driving incident involving Guatemalan migrants.
