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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker recently shared his views on the summer in Chicago during an appearance on the ‘Pod Save America‘ podcast, describing it as ‘amazing.’
However, this perspective stands in stark contrast to the grim reality faced by the 123 murder victims and their families in the city from June to August, as reported by Fox News Chicago.
‘We’ve had truly an amazing summer. And I would point out we’ve had greater tourism than ever before in the history of Chicago and in the state of Illinois,’ Pritzker stated.
He added, ‘So the idea that people are continuing to come to Chicago to visit us and yet somehow it’s a hellhole and crime-ridden, and people are wearing flak jackets, and murders are happening right and left around you — it’s ludicrous.’
Pritzker acknowledged the city’s challenges, saying, ‘I recognize we’re a big city. We’ve had crime in the past. I think every big city’s had a wave of crime that they’ve had to deal with.’
He also claimed, ‘But four years ago to today, half the number of homicides in the city of Chicago … the state of Illinois, including the city, doesn’t rank in the bottom half in terms of violent crime. We’re 19th. I would like to be first, best, most, you know, safest. That would be first. We’re 19th safest.’
The Trump administration has criticized Pritzker’s remarks. On Monday, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin admonished Pritzker for neglecting to protect Chicago residents from violent crime, stating, ‘Our message to him: Go walk your streets. Go see the violent crime against your constituents. Go see the violent crime against our own law enforcement.’
McLaughlin added, ‘JB Pritzker needs to get a spine. He needs to stand up for the people of Chicago because if not, we will continue to flood the zone and surge federal resources to make sure the people of Chicago and the people of Illinois are safe again.’
Following a visit to Chicago, FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that over 110,000 gang members are currently active in the city, indicating that approximately 4% of Chicago’s 2.7 million residents are involved in gangs.
Additionally, there are concerns about local law enforcement’s response to attacks on federal agents. Recent reports indicate that during a violent incident last weekend, local police were instructed to disregard distress calls from federal agents who were ambushed by armed individuals in Brighton Park.
This situation unfolded after federal agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were surrounded by at least 10 vehicles in what DHS officials described as a coordinated attack by ‘domestic terrorists.’
