Pritzker asserted that federal agencies like ICE, CBP, and the administration’s top officials — including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol leadership — are pushing for “mayhem on the ground” to frame the city as a war zone. By doing so, he argued, they would then claim a need to deploy even more troops to the area.

He questioned the logic behind requesting 300 state National Guard personnel, noting that such a force would not have been deemed necessary before the arrival of federal agents. Pritzker urged the administration instead to rely on civilian law enforcement agencies like the FBI, ATF, and DEA, which—he says—are better equipped to target criminal actors without needing to militarize city streets.

Earlier in the week, former President Trump had addressed military leaders, referring to U.S. cities as “training grounds” and framing a federal crackdown on urban crime as part of a domestic war. He referred specifically to Chicago, criticizing Illinois leadership and announcing that the city would soon be a site for increased military intervention. Trump called large American cities “very unsafe places” and proposed using both the National Guard and the military in those environments.

Pritzker responded by suggesting that these maneuvers are less about improving security and more about creating a crisis that only the administration’s preferred tactics can solve. By contriving instability, Pritzker argues, federal officials are manufacturing justification for an escalated, militarized approach to law enforcement in major cities.