In recent discussions, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has expressed serious concerns regarding the aggressive tactics employed by the Trump administration in relation to immigration enforcement. His remarks highlight the challenges faced in upholding the rule of law amidst escalating tensions. Pritzker’s warnings emphasize the need for accountability among officials responsible for unlawful practices.
By Jon Queally, staff writer at Common Dreams. Originally published at Common Dreams
Democratic Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois is cautioning key figures involved in President Donald Trump’s harsh immigration enforcement policies about the eventual loss of their presidential immunity. He asserts that future legislators will pursue accountability for actions taken under the current administration, particularly against unlawful orders enforced by the president.
In a Thursday evening interview on MSNBC, Pritzker pointed to instances of violent raids, unlawful searches, and the mistreatment of immigrants, activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens. He specifically called out White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, border enforcement official Tom Homan, and Gregory Bovino, the Chicago area Customs and Border Patrol commander, as individuals whose actions will not be overlooked.
Pritzker: “Stephen Miller is clearly ordering people to break the law. So he should know that yeah, it may be three years from now that he is held accountable, but I think it’s important for them to know that whatever they do now, it’s not like we’re going to forget.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 17, 2025
Pritzker asserted that those serving under the president, including ICE agents, may ultimately face consequences when a new administration comes into power willing to hold them accountable for breaking the law. He highlighted Miller’s role in promoting extreme measures and federal deployments in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Chicago, stating that Miller is “clearly ordering people to break the law.”
Legal experts and critics of the administration have argued that these deployments violate constitutional rights. Pritzker emphasized that Miller should be aware that while accountability may not be immediate, actions taken now will not be forgotten, as there is a definitive record of these practices.
In conjunction with Pritzker’s comments, Rep. Jeremy Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, led a letter from Democratic committee members demanding the Trump administration halt its violent and unlawful enforcement campaign in the Chicago area. They warned that such actions jeopardize public safety, violate constitutional protections, and destabilize communities.
According to Raskin’s office:
For months, personnel from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have employed military-style tactics in enforcement operations across Chicago, spreading fear, chaos, and violence. Such extreme enforcement tactics have only escalated since the Administration’s announcement of Operation Midway Blitz in September. In early October, President Trump further federalized the National Guard—over the objections of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker—and ordered troops to Illinois, facilitating unlawful assaults on residents.
In October alone, DHS personnel have shot two people, contradicted their claims with body camera footage, handcuffed an Alderperson checking on a detained constituent, indiscriminately deployed tear gas, placed a handcuffed man in a chokehold, shot a pastor with a pepper ball, thrown flashbang grenades at civilians, and raided an entire apartment complex, zip-tying citizens, children, and military veterans for hours.
In a letter addressed to Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, the 18 Democratic committee members, including Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García who represents the Chicago district, emphasized, “The Administration claims the mantle of law and order, yet its actions in the Chicagoland area demonstrate it is a catalyst for lawlessness and dysfunction.”
“Violently abusing residents, forcibly detaining parents and children without basic necessities, and illegally deploying military forces against an American city does not enhance safety—it endangers community members,” the letter continued.
Demanding an end to the federal agents’ attacks in Chicago, the lawmakers concluded, “[t]he American people want a common-sense approach to public safety and immigration, not violent tactics that traumatize and destabilize communities. They want leadership, not theater. We urge you to step back from the brink and use your positions to enhance public safety instead of undermining it.”
