JB Pritzker (00:00):
Good afternoon.
Audience (00:07):
Good afternoon.
(00:07)
Good afternoon.
JB Pritzker (00:10):
First, I want to address the president's unhinged remarks a few minutes ago, begging me to call him. No, I will not call the president, asking him to send troops to Chicago. I've made that clear already. I know this has been an unsettling and difficult 10 days for the people of Chicago and Illinois. I'm going to do my best to share what we know as of today and speak frankly to the people of Illinois.
(00:42)
Rumors have been swirling about what the White House has planned and sifting fact from fiction has been increasingly difficult because Donald Trump's administration is not working in coordination with the city of Chicago, Cook County, or the State of Illinois. I want to take a moment at the top of my remarks to note how truly extraordinary it is for the federal government to refuse to coordinate with local law enforcement and government.
(01:14)
Our state police regularly works with the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, to go after gangs and gun runners and drug cartels. Under previous White House administrations we regularly received notice and worked together on crime fighting operations. This city has hosted major political conventions, flashpoint events like the NATO conference and huge sports and entertainment gatherings over the years and across many presidential administrations. All those events required significant coordination between all levels of government. Some like the Democratic National Convention last year even required a limited deployment of the Illinois National Guard for broad security purposes, including especially preventing terrorism. For that four-day event, there were conversations and meetings that began one year before the convention between my office, the mayor's office, the county board president's office, CPD, state police, the FBI, the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security. The mayor and I were briefed at the highest levels of government and we pledged unwavering support in the effort to pull off a convention that kept attendees safe and protected the rights of all citizens to express their First Amendment rights. The convention was a true success because of that collaboration.
(02:48)
Fighting crime requires coordination. We have experienced nothing like that over the past several days and weeks. On Saturday, the head of the Illinois State Police received a phone call from CBP's chief patrol agent, Gregory Bovino, indicating that ICE would be deploying to Chicago. It's the first outreach we have received from the Trump administration on this topic, Bovino was short on details and long on rhetoric. So in the absence of significant federal coordination, we've gathered information from unauthorized patriotic officials inside the government and from well-sourced reporters about Donald Trump's plan, which is to deploy armed military personnel to the streets of Chicago.
(03:41)
I'm aware that the President of the United States likes to go on television and beg me to call and ask him for troops. I find this extraordinarily strange as Chicago does not want troops on her streets. I also have experience asking the president for assistance just to have the rug pulled out from underneath me when execution meets reality. I refuse to play a reality game show with Donald Trump again. What I want are the federal dollars that have been promised to Illinois and Chicago for violence prevention programs that have proven to work. That is money that Illinois taxpayers send to the federal government and it's an insult to any and every citizen to suggest that any governor should have to beg the president of any political party for resources owed their people.
(04:41)
I'd like to ask a question of my own and it's one the press should be asking as well. When did we become a country where it's okay for the US President to insist on national television that a state should call him to beg for anything, especially something we don't want? Have we truly lost all sense of sanity in this nation that we treat this as normal? As I have done since becoming governor, I've been reflecting on my responsibilities to the people of Illinois and one of those duties is to share with the public exactly what we know. In the coming days we expect to see what has played out in Los Angeles and Washington DC to happen here in Chicago.
(05:31)
First, Donald Trump is positioning armed federal agents and staging military vehicles on federal property such as the Great Lakes naval base. It is likely those agents will be with ICE, Customs and Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security and other similarly situated federal agencies. Many of these individuals are being relocated from Los Angeles for deployment in Chicago. We believe that staging that has already begun, started yesterday and continues into today. Second, unidentifiable agents in unmarked vehicles with masks are planning to raid Latino communities and say they're targeting violent criminals. As we saw in Los Angeles, a very, very small percentage of the individuals they will target will be violent criminals. Instead, you're likely to see videos of them hauling away mothers and fathers traveling to work or picking up their kids from school. Sometimes they will detain, handcuff, and haul away children. They are law-abiding individuals who pay taxes and contribute to the communities who feel safe going to work and attending mandatory immigration check-ins. In other words, they're following the law. We have reason to believe that Stephen Miller chose the month of September to come to Chicago because of celebrations around Mexican Independence Day that happen here every year. It breaks my heart to report that we have been told ICE will try and disrupt community picnics and peaceful parades. Let's be clear, the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here. Third, as lawful citizens exercise their first amendment rights, Trump and his team will be looking for any excuse to put active-duty military on our streets supposedly to protect ICE. We have reason to believe that the Trump administration has already begun staging the Texas National Guard for deployment in Illinois.
(07:54)
I want to be very clear on this point and I want to speak directly to the press right now. We know before anything has happened here that the Trump plan is to use any excuse to deploy armed military personnel to Chicago. If someone flings a sandwich at an ICE agent, Trump will try and go on TV and declare an emergency in Chicago. I'm imploring everyone if and when that happens, do not take the bait. Lastly, after about 30 days or so, we believe that they will pick up all of those resources that they send here to Chicago and send them to the next city in a blue state, ignoring cities in red states with higher violent crime rates than we have.
(08:44)
None of this is about fighting crime or making Chicago safer. None of it. For Trump it's about testing his power and producing a political drama to cover up for his corruption. If you need any proof of this that it's all a big show, well look at who they're putting in charge, Gregory Bovino. A guy who desperately wants to be a reality TV star. He led the cruel adventures of ICE in Los Angeles and he's been sent here to do the very same thing. Go look at his social media. He terrorizes innocent people and then posts on TikTok edits of himself. Apparently, this is a Trump administration norm because the last time we saw staged major ICE raids in Chicago, they sent Dr. Phil here to embed with the agents so he could get views and likes for his social media.
(09:48)
When Bovino pulled these stunts in LA, people got hurt. Two innocent people died trying to flee his masked agents. ICE opened fire on a vehicle without dangerous provocation. They detained a disabled 15-year-old, drew their guns on him. They have ripped mothers away from their babies and handcuffed 10-year-olds. In Washington they pulled over firefighters headed to fight an actual wildfire and detained two of the firefighters on duty in that effort, and they want to bring all of that to Chicago. During one of Bovino's raids, US Customs and Border Patrol's own data indicated that their officers had no prior knowledge of criminal or immigration history for 77 of the 78 people arrested. Again, this is not about crime. More and more reports around these raids include people who were stopped or detained because of how they look and not because of any threat to the public.
(10:56)
If any of this was about dealing with the complexities of a broken immigration system, then Trump would have had the Congress Trump-Republicans control write and pass a comprehensive immigration bill. Not only has that not happened, there is no talk of any such effort on the horizon. I know how Donald Trump thinks because I've been governor during both of his terms. He has surrounded himself with groveling yes men who are too weak to restrain his most violent and unhinged impulses or who share those impulses. As a governor who cares about the wellbeing of my people, I can't live in a fantasy land where I pretend Trump is not tearing this country apart for personal greed and power. I have to deal in facts and here they are. Crime is down in Chicago, murders are down by almost 50% in the last four years, shootings are down 57%, robberies down 34%, burglaries down 21%, motor vehicle thefts down 26%. One violent crime is too many and we have more work to do, but we have made important progress on safety that Trump is now jeopardizing.
(12:19)
Just during the last week, I've been in neighborhoods across Chicago, from Bronzeville to South Shore, to Chatham to Little Village. The president's absurd characterizations do not match what is happening on the ground here. He has no idea what he's talking about. There is no emergency that warrants deployment of troops. He is insulting the people of Chicago by calling our home a hellhole and anyone who takes his word at face value is insulting Chicagoans too. Crime is a reality that we all take seriously, me especially, I've held the hands of grieving mothers who have lost their kids to gun violence. I've been in consistent contact with law enforcement and managed our state through some of its toughest moments. That has informed our comprehensive evidence-based approach to crime, hiring more police officers and giving them more funding, gun and drug and gang interdiction, investing in community violence intervention, mental health supports, more substance use treatment. Those programs have shown real progress.
(13:35)
Then you know what happened? Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress cut those programs because they are unserious people who seem to know nothing about fighting crime. We are ready to fight troop deployments in court and we will do everything possible to ensure that agents operating inside the confines of this state do so
JB Pritzker (14:00):
… so in a legal and ethical manner. To Chicagoans, what you can do is look out for your communities and your neighbors. Know your rights. Film things that you see happening in your neighborhoods and your streets and share them with the news media. Authoritarians thrive on your silence. Be loud for America. To everyone listening, but most especially to the press, I refuse to pretend that any of this is normal. I refuse to concede that the abject cruelty that we're seeing play out with the execution of Trump and Stephen Miller's policies are okay or justified. I refuse to fall into the pundit trap that demands we sacrifice vital constitutional rights if it's being done in the fake guise of fighting crime. Because, as I said six months ago in my State of the State address, any rational person who has spent even the most minimal amount of time studying human history has to ask themselves one important question. Once they get the citizens of this nation comfortable with the current atrocities committed under the color of law, what comes next?
(15:24)
Now I'd like to turn the podium over to the mayor of the city of Chicago, Brandon Johnson.
Brandon Johnson (15:30):
Thank you, Governor.
(15:33)
Thank you, Governor. Good afternoon, everyone.
Audience (15:35):
Good afternoon.
Brandon Johnson (15:35):
Thank you, President Preckwinkle, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, for being here, and our Attorney General Raoul and to the members of the press. Today we stand here united as the state of Illinois, Cook County, and the city of Chicago to send a very clear message. We do not want or need military occupation in our city. We do not want or need militarized immigration enforcement in our city. We have been clear on that, and we will continue to take every single measure that we can to protect our people from these threats. However, I also want to be clear about this. There are measures that the federal government can take right now to help continue to drive down violence and crime in our city. We need the federal government to stop the endless flow of guns into our state and into our city. Chicago police officers have taken more than 24,000 guns, illegal guns, off the streets of Chicago since I've taken office. Over 24,000 illegal guns taken off the streets of Chicago since I've been in office. They have worked hard every single day to make our city safer, and they've made historic progress.
(16:58)
However, we will never be able to end gun violence in Chicago as long as the president continues to allow tens of thousands of guns to be trafficked into our state and our city. The vast majority of guns do not come from Chicago. They are not made in Cook County. They are not bought in the state of Illinois. These guns come from red states. They are coming from Indiana. They are coming from Mississippi. They are coming from Louisiana. That is the harsh reality, whether Republicans like it or not. Occupying our city will do nothing to solve this problem. No matter how much work we do or how hard we work, whether it's expanding our Detectives Bureau, investing in community violence intervention and addressing the root causes of crime, none of it will ever be enough until the president decides to end the mass trafficking of guns in our city.
(18:06)
For every gun that the Chicago Police Department fights to get off the streets, two or three more new guns come into our city. Chicago will continue to have a violence problem as long as red states continue to have a gun problem. Shootings will continue as long as this presidential administration continues to put politics over people. We have sued GLOCK over their semi-automatic guns that are easily converted into automatic weapons with switches. We have taken down gun stores in Indiana that illegally sell thousands of guns to traffickers who move them into Chicago. But whatever we shut down and whenever we do this, another one pops up. The governor has worked extremely hard to strengthen our gun-control laws across our state. And as much as we would like to, we cannot send officers across state lines to stop this problem at the source. We only have jurisdiction over our own city. The governor only has jurisdiction over our state lines. It is the role, more importantly, the responsibility, of the federal government and the president to stop the trafficking of weapons across state lines.
(19:32)
For every shooting in Chicago, there is a gun trafficker in Mississippi making money. There is a gun trafficker in Louisiana profiting off of our pain. This is a serious problem that has gone on for far too long, and it requires serious solutions. We wrote a letter to President Biden after a mass shooting in Chicago two years ago, asking for more resources to stop gun violence in our city by deploying federal agents to hold these gun traffickers accountable. President Biden responded with more resources and stronger enforcement, and that alone had a significant impact on gun violence in our city. We need President Trump to do the same. Instead of using militarized ICE agents to terrify our communities here in Chicago, instead of sending in Border Patrol to our city to detain mothers and fathers who have called Chicago their home for decades, working-class people who pay their taxes and make our community stronger, they should direct those resources to taking down gun traffickers so that we can finally put a stop to the violence.
(20:47)
If the Chicago Police Department had a fighting chance, we could end gun violence in Chicago. But as long as this president allows hundreds of thousands of guns to come into our city, we will always be fighting an uphill battle. And so, our call to the president and to his fellow Republicans who want to weaponize the tragedy of gun violence, the Republicans who want to use the pain of families who have lost loved ones to shootings and who want to use our city as a punching bag, our response is that they should get their own house in order before they say anything about the city of Chicago.
(21:29)
We have done tremendous work with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, ATF in Chicago. On August 4th, ATF worked with the Chicago Police Department to take 171 guns off the streets in just one action. They took 64 machine gun switches. These are devices that turn guns into automatic weapons, and they are almost always found on the scene of mass shootings in our city. These guns are linked to shootings and homicides in Chicago, going all the way back to 2017, including the killing of a 14-year-old boy.
(22:12)
So, my question is, why did Trump cut $468 million from ATF's budget in his nasty signature bill? Why did he cut funding for the agency responsible for getting guns off our streets by almost 30%? Why did he cut 1,465 positions from an agency that is so critical to reducing gun violence? They cut funding from the agency that is actually stopping gun traffickers so they could increase funding for ICE and Border Patrol. I'm going to repeat that again so that it sinks in. Trump gutted the agency that actually catches gun traffickers just so that he could hand money to ICE and Border Patrol. This president doesn't care about gun violence. He just wants his own secret police force that would do publicity stunts whenever his poll numbers are sinking, whenever his jobs report shows a stagnating economy, whenever he needs another distraction from his failures. That's what this is about.
(23:20)
The Trump administration continues to try to use the real pain and loss of gun-violence victims as a pretext for expanding his own power. Unfortunately, even some elected officials in our city and state have parroted these lies. But here's the truth. Donald Trump is the last person in America who cares about families on the south and west side of Chicago, those who are dealing with violence on a regular basis. The thought doesn't even cross his mind. If he did, he wouldn't have cut $800 million from violence-prevention organizations. These are funds that would have gone towards organizations on the south and west side who are on the front lines driving down gun violence. He wouldn't have cut $468 million from ATF. He wouldn't be sending ICE and border patrols to Chicago. He would be sending ATF agents to Mississippi. He would be sending these agents to Indiana. He's worried about the wrong border. We don't have an immigration crisis in Chicago. We have a gun crisis. And the president could care less about the real solutions.
(24:34)
In closing, violence in Chicago is not because we have too many immigrants. It's because we have too many guns. So, our message to Trump continues to be the same. Stop posting Truth Socials. Stop making statements. Stop threatening to send troops or ICE. Stop defunding our communities. Just do your job and end the trafficking of guns into our city.
(25:01)
Thank you. With that, we'll turn the podium over to the Cook County Board President, Toni Preckwinkle.
Toni Preckwinkle (25:06):
Good afternoon.
Audience (25:13):
Good afternoon.
Toni Preckwinkle (25:15):
I want to thank all of you for being here today. Thank you, Governor Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, Mayor Johnson, Attorney General Raoul, for standing in solidarity with the people of Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago.
(25:29)
Four years ago, leaders from the county, the state, and the city formed the Government Alliance for Safe Communities to collaboratively confront the gun-violence crisis. This alliance works to maximize the impact of public funding, build cross-sector partnerships, and support organizations working on the ground to reduce violence. Together, we've made historic investments in community safety. Over the last three years, Cook County alone has invested over $100 million in community violence intervention and other evidence-backed violence-prevention strategies. We will soon launch a new capacity-building network to provide training and technical assistance to strengthen organizations and maximize their impact in communities. Our government partners at the state and city level have also invested at unprecedented levels. Why do I bring this up? Because it's working.
(26:36)
In Cook County, we've seen a 35% drop in gun homicides from this time last year and a 45% drop in gun homicides from 2021. I'm going to say that again. In Cook County, we've seen a 35% drop in gun homicides from this time last year and a 45% drop in gun homicides from 2021. Our investments are working. Meanwhile, President Trump is freezing $158 million in funding for violence-prevention programs in cities like Chicago. He's dismantling the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and terminating more than $800 million in anti-violence grants nationwide. Needless to say, crime prevention is not his true agenda. The president is reducing resources that are working while undercutting local efforts. He is deploying active-duty military personnel within our own borders. This is our America today.
(27:43)
I say all this as we gather at a critical moment in our nation's history. For generations, our parents and grandparents believed that democracy was not simply an idea, it was a promise. A promise that people, not soldiers, should decide the future
Toni Preckwinkle (28:00):
… Future of our communities. That promise is now being tested. Threats from the federal administration to send ground troops to Chicago will test us. Let me be clear. There is no emergency in Chicago that warrants federalizing the National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active-duty military personnel within our own borders. Their presence has not been requested by local leaders. The streets of Chicago belong to the residents of Chicago. They do not belong to federal troops. They do not belong to those who would use intimidation and violence as tools of political oppression.
(28:45)
As the President of Cook County Board, I've spent my career working to make our institutions more fair, just, and accountable. Democracy is strongest when our people feel empowered, not threatened. If our residents see soldiers in combat gear patrolling their neighborhoods, they won't feel safer. They'll feel intimidated.
(29:08)
Rather than troops, here's what's needed. We need the Trump administration to pass bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform, restore community violence intervention grants, lower the costs of goods impacted by tariffs, and restore cuts to Medicaid and SNAP that take-away health care coverage and food from the table.
(29:34)
History teaches us that democracy is not self-sustaining. It requires constant vigilance. It requires courage, and most importantly, it requires people willing to stand up and say, "No, you will not trample our rights." To the people of Cook County I say this, do not be intimidated. Do not be silenced. Democracy depends on your voice, your courage, and your peaceful, I'll say that again, peaceful participation.
(30:10)
Stand tall, speak up, and remember that no troops, no weapons, no show of force is stronger than united communities that refuse to yield our rights. Chicago will not succumb to threats, and Cook County will not be silenced. I'd like to welcome to the podium the attorney general of the state of Illinois, Kwame Raoul.
Brandon Johnson (30:40):
Thank you, Madam President, Governor, Mr. Mayor, then Lieutenant Governor. I'd like to repeat something the governor said. We cannot, and not anybody in this room can be dumbed down to believing that any of this is normal. President Trump has been utilizing the notion that he and he alone can deal with crime in American cities, and his preferred tool in doing so is the American military.
(31:14)
The problem with this approach is that it's both bad strategy and illegal. I won't deny any day that we do have a serious crime problem in Chicago, as do American cities throughout the nation in red states and in blue states. Recent mass shootings and reports of other crime are horrific. While Chicago's crime problem is serious, it is far from the worst in the country.
(31:56)
President Trump's approach of using the military is bad strategy because the National Guard is not trained to do local crime fighting. Furthermore, the use of the National Guard as a crime fighting force is simply not sustainable. It is further bad strategy because there has been no effort by the president to collaborate with local leaders or local law enforcement. Collaboration and a comprehensive approach is critical to successful crime fighting.
(32:40)
Since the outset of my tenure as attorney general, I and other local law enforcement partners have worked closely with federal law enforcement partners, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret Service, and others to investigate and prosecute criminal activity in Illinois. This one-team approach to fighting crime, utilizing combined intelligence, experienced well-trained agents and officers, and state-of-the-art technology has yielded great results. It, combined with the investment in community violence interruption and providing for victims of crime, has led to significant reduction in crime.
(33:33)
If President Trump wanted to contribute to fighting crime in Chicago, he would steer more resources to these federal agencies that are collaborating with local law enforcement instead of dramatically cutting their budget. If President Trump were serious about fighting crime, he would not be cutting funding to proven community violence interruption efforts. If President Trump were serious about fighting crime, I would not have to have sued the Department of Justice two weeks ago for threatening to deprive resources for victims of crime based on unrelated immigration criteria. If President Trump were serious about fighting crime, he would not enter into collusive settlement to put machine gun trigger reset back out onto the street, devices back onto the streets.
(34:36)
President Trump's plan is not only bad strategy, but it is illegal. The militia clauses of the United States Constitution give Congress sole authority to decide the circumstances that allow the president to federalize the National Guard. The 10th Amendment preserves state sovereignty to enforce state laws as they see fit. As recognized by Judge Charles Breyer today in California, the Posse Comitatus Act limits the federal government's ability to use the military for domestic law enforcement. Although the President does have limited, and I repeat limited, authority to deploy the National Guard to help federal law enforcement in specific circumstances, none of these circumstances exist in Chicago.
(35:34)
We are not being invaded by a foreign nation. There is no rebellion against the federal government as there was on January 6th. There does not exist an inability to enforce federal law in Chicago. Federal courts are open, federal criminal cases are being prosecuted and investigated every day. As I mentioned, federal criminal investigations and collaboration with local law enforcement are taking place on a daily basis. The president has failed to establish that any of these prerequisites required by Congress through the Posse Comitatus Act exists.
(36:21)
Let's be clear. The President's plan is not about fighting crime. It's purely performative. He wants to demonstrate a show of military force towards American citizens as we would only see in authoritarian countries like China, North Korea, or Russia. He's hoping to sow chaos by inciting out-of-control protests.
(36:49)
Chicago, we have demonstrated that we can protest peacefully. It is imperative that we do not take the bait. Exercise your first amendment rights, but do so peacefully without violence or destruction of property. I invite folks in, visit my website, illinoisattorneygeneral.gov, and review free guidance before you participate in protests.
(37:21)
This administration frequently disregards our constitution and federal law. In fact, the president has even questioned whether he has to comply with our constitution. We are here to say that no president can flout the Constitution, not here in Illinois. In Illinois, we care about the rule of law and we intend to preserve it.
(37:48)
As Governor Pritzker already said, there is no emergency in Chicago. I've been in touch with the Governor's office and the City of Chicago's Corporation Council, and we will not hesitate to take action to protect our residents if this administration breaks the law or violates our constitution. With that, I'd like to pass the mic to our lieutenant governor.
Juliana Stratton (38:15):
Thank you. Hello, everyone. I'm Juliana Stratton and I'm so proud to serve as Illinois' lieutenant governor at this moment in history. Thank you to Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, President Preckwinkle, and Attorney General Raoul, and everyone standing here together preparing to defend our people.
(38:43)
I've dedicated my entire career to creating safer communities across our state. As lieutenant governor, I lead councils and initiatives focused on addressing the root causes of violence and delivering peace. I've had countless conversations with people who have been impacted by crime, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that no one, absolutely no one has ever asked to militarize our city.
(39:15)
This performance by Donald Trump and the puppets in his administration has nothing to do with eliminating crime. This con is about power, control, and fear. Trump is weaponizing federal agents against vulnerable communities in an effort to scare us all. When we see our neighbors snatched from the sidewalk, and peaceful residents thrown into unmarked vans, it will hit a nerve and it should. He is banking on the heartbreak any decent person would feel watching this abuse so that he can manipulate tensions and further his power grab by sending actual soldiers into Chicago.
(40:09)
The Pritzker-Stratton administration has been working closely with community and advocacy organizations to prepare resources ahead of this invasion. While we can't take the fear of this moment away, we can help equip you to face whatever comes next. If you or someone you love aren't sure what resources exist for immigrants in our state, I want you to go to illinoisimmigrationinfo.org. Let me repeat that. Illinoisimmigrationinfo.org.
(40:49)
On the front page, there's a red button that says, Learn Your Rights. That takes you to a complete Know Your Rights toolkit where you can access specific guidance for different scenarios. Also, on that front page is a red button that says, Get Legal Help. If you or someone you know needs an immigration lawyer, this page has resources for finding representation.
(41:20)
Illinoisimmigrationinfo.org also offers a family emergency plan template so you and your family can make a plan together before anything happens. If you do end up facing an immigration emergency, call the Family Support Network Hotline at 1-855-435-7693. There are translation services available and people ready to help. Our goal is not to scare anyone, but to prepare everyone
Juliana Stratton (42:00):
… everyone to face some ugly realities in the coming days. Many Illinoisans who look a certain way are going to spend this time living in deep fear. That will mean skipping celebrations, avoiding certain places, and keeping in constant contact with your loved ones. The best thing that those at risk can do in this moment is to prioritize your health, mental wellness, and safety above all else. To those who have the privilege of never knowing what it feels like to question your safety because of how you look, this is your moment to step up and step in. Raise your voices on behalf of those who cannot.
(42:55)
Chicago has a long history of peaceful protest. We're no strangers to calling out corruption and speaking up when our rights are on the line. We've shown that peace begets progress, and it's time to do it again. This version of America is not safe for anyone's American Dream, but it can be if we take each other's hands and push back against this hate with every fiber of our being. Despite the gaping lack of humanity in Trump's soul, we know who America really is, a place where our ancestors triumphed over evils even greater than those we face today. A place where goodness exists alongside complexity. A place where goodness is real and powerful and worth fighting for war. We are with you, Chicago and Illinois. Our only way forward is together, and so together we will march. With that, I will ask Governor Pritzker to come back to answer questions from the media. Thank you.
JB Pritzker (44:12):
[inaudible 00:44:14]
Juliana Stratton (44:14):
Can you explain where your intel comes from related to the Texas National Guard, because sources in the Texas Governor's Office just told my colleagues that that's not accurate.
JB Pritzker (44:24):
Well, good, keep asking. And let's be clear I'm not going to reveal the sources. These are people who are patriotic Americans who either work in the administration or work in the various branches of the military, who've been willing to share what they know with us.
Crowd (44:40):
[inaudible 00:44:42]
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Governor, challenging the president in courts is going to take a while, are you-
JB Pritzker (44:45):
Say that again. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
If you're going to be disruptive, we're going to ask you to leave.
Speaker 3 (44:49):
Sorry.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Challenging the president in court is going to take a while. Are you projecting any type of physical intervention in case there are rates in Latino communities, like physically intervening [inaudible 00:45:02] and neighbors.
JB Pritzker (45:02):
We're not asking any of our law enforcement to interfere with the federal government agents that are coming. We are suggesting that there are people who no doubt will be deeply concerned about the citizens, residents of Chicago who will speak out, who will film situations that occur and make sure that they're known to the media, and that they get known to the rest of the American public.
Crowd (45:28):
[inaudible 00:45:34]
Speaker 4 (45:33):
You responded to one part of what the president said in the Oval Office, but he also said when asked about the National Guard in Chicago, said, quote, "We're going in." Can you respond to that and can you tell us, are there any plans for a preemptive lawsuit?
JB Pritzker (45:48):
Well, there's no such thing as a preemptive lawsuit. If something occurs that trips the wire that allows us to go into court, and I'll just look at the Attorney General when I say this to get his confirmation, we absolutely will go into court, but that hasn't occurred yet.
Speaker 4 (46:02):
His comments aren't enough to trigger that?
Attorney General (46:09):
"We're going in" is not enough, no. We don't know this particular factual basis that he would be suggesting to federalize the guard. And so we have to be able to respond to facts, not predicting what he's going to be relying upon and what they're going to be doing specifically.
Crowd (46:27):
[inaudible 00:46:30]
JB Pritzker (46:30):
Sorry, just to answer the first part of your question, yeah, he said they're sending in troops. I just confirmed for you that we had heard that already, and so we knew that. I want to make sure that whenever we have information, that we share it with the public, make sure that they know because they need to protect their own rights.
Crowd (46:47):
[inaudible 00:46:49]
JB Pritzker (46:48):
Chris.
Chris (46:49):
Governor, can you elaborate on the information that you used at the beginning of your address about things that are going on right now, mobilization that's underway right now? What specifically is underway right now?
JB Pritzker (47:00):
Well, we're aware from some media reports, as well as from reporters who have pretty good sources, that they in fact have gathered ICE agents and military vehicles, and that there are more ICE agents that are on the way. And again, many of the people who are coming seem to be coming from Los Angeles and having been part of that raid. So if you want to look at what it is that they're planning to do, you could just look at what they did in Los Angeles.
Crowd (47:28):
[inaudible 00:47:30]
JB Pritzker (47:30):
Paris.
Speaker 5 (47:32):
Is Mayor Johnson allowed to answer a question?
Speaker 6 (47:34):
I'm sorry. Mayor, will the Chicago Police Department [inaudible 00:47:39] be authorized to actually arrest federal agents that violate municipal code now on masks and identification?
Brandon Johnson (47:49):
What you've already seen with our executive order, we made it very clear what the distinction has to be. The local police department's responsibility is to protect the residents of the City of Chicago. That's what their role is, that's what the responsibility is, that's what they'll maintain. The whole point of this is to ensure that all of the residents across the City of Chicago understand and know the distinction between what the federal agents are engaged in and the role of the local police department. If these federal agents decide to work against what our local authority is, we'll use every single tool that is available to us. If you look at the ruling that just took place in Los Angeles, it actually cites what my executive order had already exposed.
Paris (48:46):
Mayor, [inaudible 00:48:46] cited by the White House to argue for federal intervention. Do you think it's unfair to override our recent progress-
Speaker 3 (48:47):
[inaudible 00:48:47]
Speaker 2 (48:47):
You're not cooperating.
Speaker 3 (48:48):
Oh, I'm sorry. [inaudible 00:48:49]
Paris (48:48):
… in light of a more violent than usual holiday weekend, or do you think this weekend was a setback?
Brandon Johnson (48:54):
Well, look, every time someone is shot, every time someone loses their life to violence, it's a tragedy. My heart breaks every single day when these tragedies occur. But as far as the work that we are doing to drive violence down in the City of Chicago, it's why I'm even more committed after a weekend like the one we just experienced.
Speaker 3 (49:23):
[inaudible 00:49:24] over 4,000.
Speaker 2 (49:23):
Listen.
Brandon Johnson (49:23):
The fact of the matter is, is that we have illegal guns that are being trafficked in our city. That's the problem. We have done everything in our power locally, getting guns off the streets of Chicago, revamping our detectives bureau. We have a clearance rate, 76%, so we're solving violent crime in Chicago. And look, these are my neighbors. These are my neighbors. I wake up on the West Side of Chicago, and neighborhoods across the South Side of Chicago have dealt with violence for 60 years. The progress that we are making doesn't mean that we stop. There's more work to do, and I'm going to continue that work.
Speaker 7 (50:08):
Mayor Johnson-
Speaker 8 (50:09):
Mayor Johnson, what do you say to people who might look at how DC has seen a reduction in violence and those who might wonder, had the guard been here this weekend, 58 people might not have been shot and eight of them might not have been killed?
Brandon Johnson (50:26):
Well, if you look at what's happening in DC, I believe the vast majority of the interactions were for traffic stops and misdemeanors. No one is asking for that in Chicago. In fact, the amount of money that is being spent by the federal government, if we were to have those resources in Chicago right now, I could reopen every single mental health clinic that was closed-
Speaker 8 (50:53):
But you don't think [inaudible 00:50:55] numbers would've been different?
Brandon Johnson (50:56):
I can hire every single young person that was looking for a job. We could double the amount of individuals who are serving as CVI workers. Here's the harsh reality. What the president is proposing does not set us up for long-term sustainability. He's not serious. Because here's another question I would ask, if he was serious, why would he cut 30% from the ATF budget that we have been working with over the course of my administration to get illegal guns off the streets?
Crowd (51:28):
[inaudible 00:51:31]
Speaker 3 (51:31):
Mayor Johnson, over 4,000 people have been shot since you've become mayor.
Brandon Johnson (51:34):
Yes. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 9 (51:35):
Yeah, hi.
Brandon Johnson (51:36):
Is this for the governor?
Speaker 9 (51:37):
Yes.
Brandon Johnson (51:38):
Okay. All right.
Speaker 9 (51:38):
Sorry. You mentioned that you had been concerned that the chairman was targeted because of the Mexican Independence Day. Can you speak to any questions that you're advising for those organizations that are planning those events or any kind of conversation that you had about those?
JB Pritzker (51:58):
We're learning more about it. It's been mentioned as some of the aim of Stephen Miller. I have not heard that yet from ICE, but we know that what Stephen Miller wants to have happen with ICE is usually what happens. So we're deeply concerned about it. No doubt the mayor, our state police, our CPD, all are going to be on guard thinking about how do we preserve the lives of and the livelihoods of, and protect the people of the City of Chicago in a circumstance where they're simply celebrating their heritage? They shouldn't be interrupted in this way. This is an aim of this government. They don't actually care if you are here and undocumented. They just care if your skin color is a little off of theirs and that you're Latino. They're going to just target you without knowing anything. By the way, does anybody in this room walk around with citizenship papers? I mean, really, none of us have citizenship papers on us-
Crowd (52:57):
It's called [inaudible 00:52:57]
JB Pritzker (52:57):
So the question is, they're going after these people, rounding people up, throwing them into vans without telling their families, without reading them their rights, taking them off the streets in masks, in unmarked cars. I mean, this is what's happening in the streets of the nation, and what we need to do is step back and ask, is this president following the law in what he's doing? Is ICE following the law? And all of us need to speak up and speak out about the assault on just regular residents who are following the law, who are going to work, paying their taxes, who've been around in our city for 10, 20, 30 years. We ought to be protecting those people, and if they want to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, they ought to be able to do that without being terrorized by ICE.
Crowd (53:47):
[inaudible 00:53:48]
Speaker 2 (53:48):
Last question. This will be the last question.
JB Pritzker (53:49):
Olivia.
Olivia (53:51):
Several weeks ago you called for mass disruption of fighting everywhere all at once. Today you said don't take the bait, they're going to want to send in more troops. What exactly are you suggesting that Chicagoan do or don't do? And just to follow-up on the last question, are you suggesting that people change their plans for Mexican Independence Day and that sort of thing, or-
JB Pritzker (54:09):
Not suggesting anything about that. Certainly the Chicago Police Department, the City of Chicago that's hosting the Mexican Independence Day events will work with state police and others to determine how that ought to be handled. Sorry, your first question is just the focus of what I said a few weeks ago, or actually a couple of months ago? Yeah, guess what? People ought to be speaking out about what this administration is doing. I'm doing it from this podium, but people can go protest. People are holding up signs on street corners with their friends to protest. There are thousands of people, indeed millions of people that showed up for No Kings Day. Yeah, I'm encouraging people to peacefully, have said that all along, megaphones, microphones, go to the ballot box. Those are all the things that I said, let's be clear. And to the extent that people want to protest, they have that First Amendment right to do so. All I'm saying, as I said back then, is that you ought to do it peacefully and that you ought to make your voices heard.
Speaker 2 (55:14):
Thank you, everyone.
JB Pritzker (55:14):
Thank you.
Juliana Stratton (55:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (55:15):
Governor, just one very important question regarding the illegal alien, Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez that was released under [inaudible 00:55:23]-