Pritzker Tells Feds to ‘Get Out’ of Chicago as Judge Halts Portland National Guard Deployment

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told federal agents to “get the heck out” of Chicago after President Donald Trump authorized a National Guard deployment to the city, part of a nationwide campaign the White House claims is aimed at fighting crime in Democratic-run cities.

“They need to get out of Chicago,” Pritzker said during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday. “They are the ones that are making it a war zone,” he added, referencing Trump’s recent description of the Windy City.

The White House announced Saturday that it would be authorizing the deployment of 300 National Guard members to Chicago “to protect federal officers and assets,” a spokesperson said.

Pritzker’s comments came just hours before a Trump-appointed judge paused a similar deployment to Portland. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut wrote that Trump exceeded his constitutional authority when he called up the Oregon National Guard over his belief that protests against the administration’s draconian immigration crackdown represented an existential threat to order in the city, adding that the unrest did not pose a “danger of a rebellion.”

The Illinois governor hailed the judge’s description, saying that the administration was intentionally creating conditions on the ground that would justify greater federal intervention in a number of Democratic-run cities.

Pritzker pointed to the dramatic military-style raid of an apartment building on Chicago’s South Side — part of an escalating immigration crackdown dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.” Shortly after midnight last Tuesday federal agents rappelled from helicopters onto the roof of the building, kicking down doors and throwing flash-bang grenades while they rounded up residents, including children and a number of elderly people. Photos of the aftermath show widespread damage to nearly every unit in the building.

“[Trump] was claiming that it‘s mayhem on the streets of Portland. He‘s saying that Chicago is a war zone. None of that is true,” Pritzker said. “They’re just making this up. and then what do they do? They fire tear gas and smoke grenades, and they make it look like it‘s a war zone.”

During another interview on Fox News Sunday morning, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that she had seen residents cheering on her department’s operations in Chicago and Portland. She also said that Trump was justified in deploying the National Guard because of increasing threats toward immigration officers.

In her ruling, Judge Immergut acknowledged several incidents of violence toward federal agents in Portland, calling them “inexcusable” — though she added that “they are nowhere near the type of incidents that cannot be handled by regular law enforcement forces.”

Immergut also warned that the Trump administration’s actions “risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power—to the detriment of this nation.”

The Trump administration promised to swiftly appeal the decision.

When asked Sunday morning whether he would abide by the order, Trump said he hadn’t seen it yet.

“We’re going to look at that,” Trump said of the ruling, acknowledging that he appointed the judge in question during his first term.

“I wasn’t served well by the people that picked judges,” he added.