Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker defended Illinois’ sanctuary laws for immigrants in the U.S. without legal permission before a House committee Thursday and pointed at congressional Republicans and Democrats for using the issue to try to score political points rather than enacting comprehensive immigration reform.
“The vast majority of immigrants contribute to our communities, pay taxes and abide by the law. We should value their entrepreneurship, ingenuity and hard work. Both political parties are to blame for America’s broken immigration system,” the state’s two-term governor said in opening remarks submitted to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “I hope that this committee chooses (to) be part of the solution by pursuing bipartisan comprehensive federal immigration reform.”
In a hearing that lasted more than seven hours, Pritzker, appearing beside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said the U.S. “border should be secured. The asylum process should be reformed. Law-abiding, hardworking, tax-paying people who have been in this country for years should have a path to citizenship.”
“We can have a secure border while also having real immigration pathways that allow people to come here, work, and support themselves on a reasonable timeline,” Pritzker said. “Our prosperity and our national security demand it.”
Thursday’s often-combative hearing was orchestrated to call out the three Democratic governors for what Chair James Comer of Kentucky called “sanctuary policies.”
Those policies, Comer said, “do not protect Americans. They protect criminal illegal aliens.” Comer went on to talk about Katherine Abraham, a Glenview woman killed earlier this year in an Urbana hit-and-run crash that also left another woman fatally injured. The Guatemalan man police and prosecutors say was responsible for the crash was arrested with falsified documents days later in Texas on a bus headed to Mexico.
Comer said the governors “willfully ignore federal law” by not cracking down on people living in their states who entered the U.S. illegally.
“But let me be clear: We expect the federal government to follow the law, too,” Pritzker said. “We will not participate in abuses of power. We will not violate court orders. We will not ignore the Constitution. We will not defy the Supreme Court. We will not take away people’s rights to peacefully protest.” […]
Pritzker told the committee that the state law that prohibits state and local law enforcement officers from assisting federal immigration agents, known as the Trust Act, makes all Illinois residents safer.
“We want our law enforcement officers focusing on their actual jobs while empowering all members of the public — regardless of immigration status — to feel comfortable calling law enforcement to seek help, report crimes and cooperate in investigations,” Pritzker said. “It is important that all members of the community trust law enforcement. Prosecuting criminals and preventing crime in our communities becomes exponentially harder when victims or witnesses do not come forward because they are undocumented and afraid of law enforcement.”
Illinois law enforcement agents have always complied with judicial warrants executed by federal agents and will continue to do so, Pritzker said.
Pritzker occasionally butted heads with Republicans throughout the hearing. Comer questioned the governor about the death of Katie Abraham in an Urbana car crash. She was killed in January by a suspected drunken driver illegally in the United States, according to WCIA. The GOP members mentioned several crime victims by name throughout the hearing.
Rep. Mary Miller, a Republican from Hindsboro, accused Pritzker of “rolling out the red carpet for illegal aliens,” adding “illegal aliens in our state have overwhelmed our communities.”
“I am not going to be lectured to by someone who extolled the virtues of Adolf Hitler,” Pritzker said, alluding to comments Miller made on Jan. 6, 2021.
Representative Brandon Gill of Texas took aim at Mr. Pritzker on a host of issues that Republicans are using to exploit discontent with Democrats. He pressed him on his stance on Hamas and on transgender issues, asking him whether he believed that men should use women’s restrooms.
Mr. Pritzker did not take the bait. “So you’re admitting this is just a political circus?” he asked, before seeking to turn the discussion back to immigration.
In his State of the State address in February, Pritzker alluded to the rise of Nazi Germany as he raised the alarm about Trump’s early actions. In April, he called for “mass protests, mobilization and disruption” to oppose the administration.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Co., suggested that Pritzker’s remarks helped inspire some of the disorder that has been on display on Los Angeles. But Pritzker said that he meant through “microphones, megaphones, and going to the ballot box.”
Pritzker grew visibly irritated when Boebert asked whether the destruction of property fits under the definition of peaceful protest.
“I find it hard to believe that you’re lecturing us about peaceful protest,” Pritzker said. “Look at what happened January 6 here at the Capitol — an attack on our democracy. That is an insurrection.”
Boebert earlier this year invited the now-pardoned people who stormed the Capitol to “come back” for a tour. She added that what is happening in Los Angeles “is an insurrection,” to which Pritzker replied, “Then you don’t understand what an insurrection is.”
Joining the governors of New York and Minnesota Thursday in front of the U.S. House Oversight Committee, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, asked the three governors for their response to threats of being arrested for allegedly impeding federal immigration enforcement with migrant sanctuary policies.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said “go for it.” Pritzker said the Trump administration “can try.”
“I will stand in the way of [Trump border czar] Tom Homan going after people who don’t deserve to be frightened in their communities, who don’t deserve to be threatened or terrorized, I would rather that he come and arrested me than to do that to the people of my state,” Pritzker said.
Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds slammed the governor for not knowing the specific cost of providing services for immigrants — a figure that Mayor Johnson couldn’t pull for Donalds when the Chicago mayor was summoned to D.C. to testify before the same committee earlier this year.
“I think this might be an Illinois problem,” Donalds said.
GOP Georgia Rep. Brian Jack asked Pritzker to grade Johnson “A to F” on his management of law enforcement in the city. Pritzker sidestepped the question but praised Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling.
* Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran…
“For years, the Pritzker Administration has denied the Illinois Senate Republicans’ repeated requests to answer basic questions about the billions of taxpayer dollars he’s spending on non-citizen welfare programs, including free health care, housing, and cash assistance. I strongly encourage my legislative colleagues to join me in demanding accountability by supporting our Noncitizen Population Spending Transparency Act to require the Pritzker Administration to finally provide an honest reporting of the true price Illinois taxpayers are paying for his Administration’s non-citizen initiatives.”
* Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie…
Governor Pritzker’s sanctuary state policies have failed—and now he’s in Washington trying to answer for Illinois’ sanctuary state disaster.
Since 2022, Illinois taxpayers have shelled out over $3 billion on services for illegal immigrants, while families here struggle with affordability, rising crime, and crumbling infrastructure.
His administration just passed the largest budget in state history—stuffed with hidden items like $1.3 million for a migrant shelter that was never built, $40 million for Welcome Centers, and $110 million more for healthcare for illegal immigrants. Millions are being funneled into programs that put illegal immigrants ahead of our own residents.
* Illinois Freedom Caucus…
“America’s three stooges testified today and showed the world just how out of touch they are when it comes to the issue of immigration. Congresswoman Mary Miller and other Republican members of Congress deftly exposed the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of the woke left today with their questions. Woke politicians like JB Pritzker do not care about the people they are supposed to represent. All Pritzker cares about is cozying up to the radicals in his party so that he can win the Democratic party nomination for President. Sane and sober leaders don’t side with lawless, violent criminals against the safety of their own people. The reason we have immigration laws is because not everyone trying to get into our country has good intentions. This is just common-sense – something JB and his fellow stooges lack. Governor Pritzker is actively promoting and embracing criminal activity and violence. The people of Illinois deserve better.”
* More…
* Politico | Democratic governors face Republican oversight on immigration: Walz, who is fresh off a losing vice presidential campaign and more recently made the rounds in early presidential primary states, criticized the federal government’s deployment of National Guard troops without the consent of state officials. It “creates a chaotic situation,” he said. Illinois, New York and Minnesota all have laws that limit cooperation between federal immigration officers and state law enforcement. Pritzker, Hochul and Walz were all asked to testify — and defend — what these laws mean in practice.
*WGN | Pritzker defends Illinois’ sanctuary laws, blasts Trump administration ‘abuses of power’: In 2017, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill which barred police from arresting anyone solely due to their immigration status. Pritzker signed further legislation in 2021 with additional protections. The Department of Justice claims Illinois’ TRUST Act and Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance are invalid due to the Supremacy Clause.
*The Christian Science Monitor | How JB Pritzker’s faith and Holocaust work are powering his dire warnings about Trump: Governor Pritzker has emerged as one of the loudest Democratic voices sounding the alarm about what he sees as the authoritarian tendencies of the Trump administration. And increasingly, he’s put his own personal story at the center of his argument. He has drawn on his family’s history as Jewish refugees, and his decade working on Holocaust issues, to warn in stark terms about the administration’s aggressive moves to crack down on immigrants and suppress dissent.
== “Then you don’t understand what an insurrection is.”==
Lol. Great answer by the Governor. People attacking the United States Capitol attempting to overthrow the result of an election is the definition of an insurrection.
Republicans aren’t interested in being serious. They are interested in political theater and supporting indefensible actions of this President.
“ The reason we have immigration laws is because not everyone trying to get into our country has good intentions.”
This is literally not true. I have not idea what planet these people are living on. But most of our immigration laws have nothing to do with only prohibiting people from coming into the country if they have “bad intentions.”
I will also add, if we allow anyone into the country who wants to come here and has “good intentions”, which the freedom caucus implies to support, that is probably more of an open borders policy than any serious Democrat has proposed.
Overall, Governor Pritzker fared better before Congress than did Mayor Johnson, but his appearance was not perfect. At times, the political grandstanding got out of hand, but Pritzker’s potential vulnerabilities as a presidential candidate were also exposed.
The USA tried granting amnesty to migrants in 1987. It failed to solve the problem and only spurred more unauthorized immigration. The public has rejected immigration reform and voted for stricter border enforcement in 2024.
Pritzker, the absent Newsom and Walz all have presidential ambitions. All will have to defend their gubernatorial records.
Sitting in the chair and fencing with the opposition is necessary if you want to run. JB did fine, and the attacks were choreographed for Fox News. Attackers aren’t serious people… it showed.
“That is literally the policy, in practice, espoused by everyone in the street “resisting” deportation raids.”
Except that it’s not. If you asked them whether we should allow 100 million immigrants in from other countries in a single year as long as they all have good intentions, they will not all jump for joy and say yes.
The right-wingers are here supporting mass deportations and supporting violence against immigrants and immigrant communities, and even don’t seem to mind when the Trump administration defies a Supreme Court order to return a wrongfully-deported US citizen.
I know that right-wingers are not serious about immigration because they are going after the exploited workers. If they actually cared about reducing illegal immigration, they would go after the employers who exploit them and illegally hire them.
If we put serious penalties on the employers giving illegal immigrants jobs, we would see illegal immigration rapidly decline.
But that’s not what right-wingers want; they want to use immigrants as a scapegoat because they think it is politically expedient.
==The USA tried granting amnesty to migrants in 1987. It failed to solve the problem and only spurred more unauthorized immigration.==
Wrong as usual. This plan, put through by Ronald Reagan himself, allowed immigrants to achieve the American Dream. Reagan always used to recall the experience of the Irish and how American allowed them to escape grinding poverty and make a life for themselves.
“The public has rejected immigration reform and voted for stricter border enforcement in 2024.”
The people who came out to vote, by not even a majority, elected one candidate because they were unhappy with the economy of the incumbent party. It was not an endorsement of every policy that the winner holds, despite what you and others may like to pretend.
All attempts to prevent illegal immigration will fail unless they address the reason the immigrants come in the first place - to get jobs and make a better life for themselves and their families. To address that, we need to crack down not on these immigrants who are being exploited, but on the employers who are exploiting them.
Instead of ICE targeting workers at Home Depot, they should be targeting the executives at Home Depot who allow theirs subordinates to hire people not authorized to work. If we were to crack down on the employers giving jobs to those not authorized, then we would see things change.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:20 am:
Glad to see Pritzker remind Miller of her pro Hitler comments.
Since the Governor was called to testify I hope he sends the committee a bill for his travel and expenses. He is entitled to that and i think it would be fun to ask for it
==That is literally the policy, in practice, espoused by everyone in the street “resisting” deportation raids.==
No, it’s not. And your extremely disingenious for saying that. They are protesting the thug tactics of this Administration in rounding these people up. Literally no one is arguing for hardened criminals to be protected. That’s just the talking point of you and your ilk.
He wasn’t good. You see his weakness in these situations. If people want to live in an echo chamber, fine by me, but he took a risk showing up and he didn’t perform well.
Overall, it’s been a bad week for his 2028 aspirations. Gavin stole the “happy warrior” mantle this week and his political acumen is vastly superior to JB.
Not everyone is destined for the big leagues. Run for reelection and enjoy the friendly prairie confines.
It seems like some of y’all have either never seen a congressional hearing, or didn’t realize that this particular committee is packed with the right of the right and the left of the left.
It’s not a committee that really does anything. It’s a committee used almost solely to generate video clips for cable/streaming nets and social media.
The only reason we’re covering it is because the governor of this state chose to testify. Whether that was a good decision or a bad decision is probably in the eyes of the beholders because that’s how the game is played in that committee.
What Rich sai (both posts) x100. This is snot a serious committee, if it was Boebert, Miller, and LaHood wouldn’t be there. None of them can stand on their own two feet in a policy discussion with anyone. Pritzker went there to score some points and sound bites. I like the governor and generally support his work here. I though he fared reasonably well. I liked his retorts to Boebert and Miller.
=Lahood did a good job at the hearing yesterday. =
Thank you for telling me you are not serious. I have met with LaHood multiple times. He is the least substantive elected official I personally have interacted with. I hope I am wrong about this, but I cannot recall a bill he authored and passed at the state or national level. He is a genuine nepo baby. He isn’t a “bad” guy and is actually reasonable pleasant in person. There just isn’t any substance.
I think this whole thing was a wash. Oversight hearings only matter if they produce truly viral moments… think Thomas Massie and John Kerry’s exchange about “political science,” or the “nonhuman biologic” moment, or the Jasmine Crockett/MTG “fake eyelashes” thing. I’d be shocked if non-political junkies like myself even remember any of these examples.
This hearing had its moments, but nothing close to what it takes for something to stick, in my opinion. It was a draw, and the memory of this hearing will fade in a week.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 2:17 pm:
Pritzker won the day, and really was not close.
Part of that is because LA was dominating the news, and the GOP was forced to react/play defense after Noem’s staff physically subdued a U.S. Senator.
Pritzker’s goal is to not screw up. It’s like a boxing match, you just want to go the 15 rounds without getting knocked down, which he did.
He was on a national stage, and Democrats across the country liked what they saw.
The best quote the GOP could come up with was Pritzker saying “I will stand up to Tom Homan.” What percentage of Americans do you think know who Tom Homan is? Less than 5%, I bet.
What matters now is what happens on the ground in Chicago and elsewhere. Things are not going well for Trump in LA, and as much as Trump would like to blame Newsom and Bass, Stephen Miller is launching raids in so many states, it is going to be really tough to sell this as the fault of Governors and Mayors.
I assume no escalation this weekend because it would cast a shadow on Trump’s $90 million birthday parade, but we shall see.
– Instead of ICE targeting workers at Home Depot, they should be targeting the executives at Home Depot who allow theirs subordinates to hire people not authorized to work. If we were to crack down on the employers giving jobs to those not authorized, then we would see things change.
This is a very understated point. I’m seeing interviews of MAGA business owners complaining that half their workforce was arrested by ICE and I’m here asking myself, “Why weren’t you also arrested?”
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 10:21 am:
== “Then you don’t understand what an insurrection is.”==
Lol. Great answer by the Governor. People attacking the United States Capitol attempting to overthrow the result of an election is the definition of an insurrection.
Republicans aren’t interested in being serious. They are interested in political theater and supporting indefensible actions of this President.
- JS Mill - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 10:42 am:
Maybe McCombie or the Freedom gang can highlight just one single successful policy they have enacted. Just one.
- Juice - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 10:43 am:
“ The reason we have immigration laws is because not everyone trying to get into our country has good intentions.”
This is literally not true. I have not idea what planet these people are living on. But most of our immigration laws have nothing to do with only prohibiting people from coming into the country if they have “bad intentions.”
- Juice - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 10:45 am:
I will also add, if we allow anyone into the country who wants to come here and has “good intentions”, which the freedom caucus implies to support, that is probably more of an open borders policy than any serious Democrat has proposed.
- low level - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 10:45 am:
==deftly exposed the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy ==
Lol. The “Freedom” Caucus is on another planet, as usual.
- JB13 - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 10:49 am:
” if we allow anyone into the country who wants to come here and has “good intentions”
That is literally the policy, in practice, espoused by everyone in the street “resisting” deportation raids.
- Cool Papa Bell - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 10:50 am:
=There’s something deeply wrong with downstate,=
Use your broad brush someplace else please.
- Hard Times - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:00 am:
Overall, Governor Pritzker fared better before Congress than did Mayor Johnson, but his appearance was not perfect. At times, the political grandstanding got out of hand, but Pritzker’s potential vulnerabilities as a presidential candidate were also exposed.
The USA tried granting amnesty to migrants in 1987. It failed to solve the problem and only spurred more unauthorized immigration. The public has rejected immigration reform and voted for stricter border enforcement in 2024.
Pritzker, the absent Newsom and Walz all have presidential ambitions. All will have to defend their gubernatorial records.
- Jibba - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:04 am:
I’m watching JB calculate in his head how much it would cost to fund a winning candidate against Miller next election.
- Lincoln Lad - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:06 am:
Sitting in the chair and fencing with the opposition is necessary if you want to run. JB did fine, and the attacks were choreographed for Fox News. Attackers aren’t serious people… it showed.
- Techie - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:08 am:
“That is literally the policy, in practice, espoused by everyone in the street “resisting” deportation raids.”
Except that it’s not. If you asked them whether we should allow 100 million immigrants in from other countries in a single year as long as they all have good intentions, they will not all jump for joy and say yes.
The right-wingers are here supporting mass deportations and supporting violence against immigrants and immigrant communities, and even don’t seem to mind when the Trump administration defies a Supreme Court order to return a wrongfully-deported US citizen.
I know that right-wingers are not serious about immigration because they are going after the exploited workers. If they actually cared about reducing illegal immigration, they would go after the employers who exploit them and illegally hire them.
If we put serious penalties on the employers giving illegal immigrants jobs, we would see illegal immigration rapidly decline.
But that’s not what right-wingers want; they want to use immigrants as a scapegoat because they think it is politically expedient.
- low level - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:11 am:
==The USA tried granting amnesty to migrants in 1987. It failed to solve the problem and only spurred more unauthorized immigration.==
Wrong as usual. This plan, put through by Ronald Reagan himself, allowed immigrants to achieve the American Dream. Reagan always used to recall the experience of the Irish and how American allowed them to escape grinding poverty and make a life for themselves.
- Techie - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:13 am:
“The public has rejected immigration reform and voted for stricter border enforcement in 2024.”
The people who came out to vote, by not even a majority, elected one candidate because they were unhappy with the economy of the incumbent party. It was not an endorsement of every policy that the winner holds, despite what you and others may like to pretend.
All attempts to prevent illegal immigration will fail unless they address the reason the immigrants come in the first place - to get jobs and make a better life for themselves and their families. To address that, we need to crack down not on these immigrants who are being exploited, but on the employers who are exploiting them.
Instead of ICE targeting workers at Home Depot, they should be targeting the executives at Home Depot who allow theirs subordinates to hire people not authorized to work. If we were to crack down on the employers giving jobs to those not authorized, then we would see things change.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:20 am:
Glad to see Pritzker remind Miller of her pro Hitler comments.
- Excitable Boy - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:20 am:
- Downstate takes our money and uses it for things like this. -
What are you babbling about? How is “downstate” using your tax dollars for a congressional hearing?
- DuPage Saint - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:34 am:
Since the Governor was called to testify I hope he sends the committee a bill for his travel and expenses. He is entitled to that and i think it would be fun to ask for it
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:34 am:
==That is literally the policy, in practice, espoused by everyone in the street “resisting” deportation raids.==
No, it’s not. And your extremely disingenious for saying that. They are protesting the thug tactics of this Administration in rounding these people up. Literally no one is arguing for hardened criminals to be protected. That’s just the talking point of you and your ilk.
- 312Lawyer - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:34 am:
He wasn’t good. You see his weakness in these situations. If people want to live in an echo chamber, fine by me, but he took a risk showing up and he didn’t perform well.
Overall, it’s been a bad week for his 2028 aspirations. Gavin stole the “happy warrior” mantle this week and his political acumen is vastly superior to JB.
Not everyone is destined for the big leagues. Run for reelection and enjoy the friendly prairie confines.
- James - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:35 am:
“I’m watching JB calculate in his head how much it would cost to fund a winning candidate against Miller next election.”
Might take 4 billion. It’s a R+20 District.
- 40,000 ft - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:37 am:
Lahood did a good job at the hearing yesterday. Interesting he floated in, even though not assigned to that Committee.
So much future prospecting from Pritzker for his potus dreams, LaHood for Senate gop candidate, and Krishnamoorthi for Senate dem candidate.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:51 am:
It seems like some of y’all have either never seen a congressional hearing, or didn’t realize that this particular committee is packed with the right of the right and the left of the left.
It’s not a committee that really does anything. It’s a committee used almost solely to generate video clips for cable/streaming nets and social media.
The only reason we’re covering it is because the governor of this state chose to testify. Whether that was a good decision or a bad decision is probably in the eyes of the beholders because that’s how the game is played in that committee.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:55 am:
===Interesting he floated in===
No, it’s not. That happens a lot on that committee.
Again, it’s a show horse committee, not a work horse committee.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 11:58 am:
The Christian Science Monitor article listed above is well worth a read, especially JBP’s comments about Steven Miller.
Pritzker is no dummy. He knew what this was going to be before going in. National politics, especially against MAGA, is nasty.
Only gullible FOX viewers would fall for the selective editing on his comments.
- Blue Dog - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 12:09 pm:
jb should have read the Karl rove oped.
- low level - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 12:38 pm:
==You see his weakness in these situations. ==
Your arguments are weak.
- JS Mill - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 12:48 pm:
What Rich sai (both posts) x100. This is snot a serious committee, if it was Boebert, Miller, and LaHood wouldn’t be there. None of them can stand on their own two feet in a policy discussion with anyone. Pritzker went there to score some points and sound bites. I like the governor and generally support his work here. I though he fared reasonably well. I liked his retorts to Boebert and Miller.
=Lahood did a good job at the hearing yesterday. =
Thank you for telling me you are not serious. I have met with LaHood multiple times. He is the least substantive elected official I personally have interacted with. I hope I am wrong about this, but I cannot recall a bill he authored and passed at the state or national level. He is a genuine nepo baby. He isn’t a “bad” guy and is actually reasonable pleasant in person. There just isn’t any substance.
- I-55 Fanatic - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 1:00 pm:
I think this whole thing was a wash. Oversight hearings only matter if they produce truly viral moments… think Thomas Massie and John Kerry’s exchange about “political science,” or the “nonhuman biologic” moment, or the Jasmine Crockett/MTG “fake eyelashes” thing. I’d be shocked if non-political junkies like myself even remember any of these examples.
This hearing had its moments, but nothing close to what it takes for something to stick, in my opinion. It was a draw, and the memory of this hearing will fade in a week.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 2:17 pm:
Pritzker won the day, and really was not close.
Part of that is because LA was dominating the news, and the GOP was forced to react/play defense after Noem’s staff physically subdued a U.S. Senator.
Pritzker’s goal is to not screw up. It’s like a boxing match, you just want to go the 15 rounds without getting knocked down, which he did.
He was on a national stage, and Democrats across the country liked what they saw.
The best quote the GOP could come up with was Pritzker saying “I will stand up to Tom Homan.” What percentage of Americans do you think know who Tom Homan is? Less than 5%, I bet.
What matters now is what happens on the ground in Chicago and elsewhere. Things are not going well for Trump in LA, and as much as Trump would like to blame Newsom and Bass, Stephen Miller is launching raids in so many states, it is going to be really tough to sell this as the fault of Governors and Mayors.
I assume no escalation this weekend because it would cast a shadow on Trump’s $90 million birthday parade, but we shall see.
- z3ro - Friday, Jun 13, 25 @ 3:40 pm:
– Instead of ICE targeting workers at Home Depot, they should be targeting the executives at Home Depot who allow theirs subordinates to hire people not authorized to work. If we were to crack down on the employers giving jobs to those not authorized, then we would see things change.
This is a very understated point. I’m seeing interviews of MAGA business owners complaining that half their workforce was arrested by ICE and I’m here asking myself, “Why weren’t you also arrested?”