Gov. Pritzker, Illinois Leaders Unite to Reject Trump’s Military Deployment Plans

CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2025 - Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker joined a broad coalition of elected officials, business executives, faith leaders, community advocates and law enforcement representatives today to condemn President Donald Trump’s proposal to deploy the National Guard or active-duty military personnel to Chicago. Speaking at a press conference overlooking the Chicago River, Pritzker insisted there is no emergency warranting armed intervention and denounced the plan as “unprecedented and unwarranted,” asserting it is “illegal, unconstitutional and un-American”.

“Our civilian police force and elected leaders work every day to promote public safety - efforts that have successfully brought down crime,” Pritzker said. “The State of Illinois is ready to stand against this military deployment with every peaceful tool we have. We will pull every lever at our disposal to protect the people of Illinois and their rights”.

Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton emphasized that Chicago’s homicide rate has fallen by more than 30% in the past year and highlighted the state’s collaborative work with federal agencies such as the FBI and DEA. “Chicago is my home - it’s where I grew up and where I’m raising my family. I won’t let Donald Trump turn our city into his authoritarian playground,” Stratton declared.

Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) and Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) also spoke, framing the threatened deployment as a “dangerous step toward authoritarianism” that misuses federal resources and undermines local governance. “Protecting our communities means investing in bipartisan solutions, not exploiting our men and women in uniform for political gain,” Schneider stated.

Leaders at the event underscored existing public safety initiatives: improved law enforcement training, community violence intervention programs and a sustained decline in violent crime. “Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago is an authoritarian power grab and a complete misuse of federal resources,” Foster said, urging the president to instead support violence prevention funding.

No action to authorize deployment has yet been taken. Illinois officials signaled readiness to challenge any federal overreach in court, affirming their commitment to uphold the state’s authority and safeguard residents’ civil liberties.