Pritzker Vows To Protect IL From Trump, New Border Czar Says 'Game On'

ILLINOIS — Saying he intends to "protect Illinoisans from the damage" newly elected President Donald Trump may attempt to cause in the state, Gov. JB Pritzker has been named co-chair of a non-partisan coalition of a number of governors across the country. Governors Safeguarding Democracy says "it is committed to protecting the state-level institutions of democracy" with a Trump presidency set to officially begin in just over two months.

"Project 2025 will be Donald Trump's extreme playbook for his second presidency," Pritzker said Tuesday. "Here in Illinois, we’ve taken the proactive steps to protect our state from its reach."

Pritzker is co-chairing the group with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

Last week, Pritzker, one of Trump's most vocal critics, said that anyone feeling "unsafe and unwelcome" following the results of the election has an "ally" in Illinois and will always be welcome.

Among Trump's campaign promises has been to mass deport millions of undocumented immigrants, something he has vowed to begin soon after taking office. On Sunday, he named Tom Homan, a former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, his administration's "border czar." Homan has said ICE agents will double their presence in sanctuary cities like Chicago, which brought push back from both Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

"To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom, opportunity, and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior," Pritzker said. "You come for my people — you come through me."

During a Tuesday podcast with conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, Homan was played a clip of Pritzker's comments and responded to them.

"Game on. We've got no problem going through him [Pritzker]," Homan said. "I've got 20,000 men and women in ICE, who are going to do their jobs with no apology."

He added that when Trump swears in on Jan. 20, 2025, "we're in go mode" and "any governor that wants to stand in the way, go ahead and do it, we'll see what happens."

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