DHS takes on Pritzker's 'Smorgasbord of Lies,' releases list debunking his claims
Homeland Security said it "is setting the record straight" about Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's "lies" by releasing a list that "debunks" his claims.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker of serving the American public a "smorgasbord of lies" as it released a list that it says "debunks" his claims about federal law enforcement operations in Chicago.
The federal pushback comes as the Democratic governor and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson filed a lawsuit Monday to block the Trump administration from deploying hundreds of National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas in Chicago and surrounding cities.
"Our message to JB Pritzker: Get out of your mansion and see Chicago," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "If JB Pritzker actually walked the streets of his own city, he would see domestic terrorists and violent rioters attacking police officers and the scourge of violent crime as a direct result of his own policies."
The DHS added that it "is setting the record straight about Pritzker’s lies and defending the brave men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from his smears and slander."
PRITZKER SUES TRUMP TO BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD ACTION IN ILLINOIS
During a press conference Monday, Pritzker said there has been an "unconstitutional invasion of Illinois by the federal government," and, "For weeks now, Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and [Commander at Large of the U.S. Border Patrol] Gregory Bovino have brought their militarized CBP and ICE agents to the streets of Chicago to cause violence and chaos in this city."
However, the DHS said the "reality" is that, "this is neither unconstitutional nor an invasion."
"President Trump has the authority under the Constitution to deploy troops, wherever they’re stationed, to defend federal facilities from attacks," it added in response to Pritzker’s first claim on the list. "Whether it’s the ICE facility in Broadview or the courthouse in Portland, we will defend federal property wherever they are under siege."
In an appearance on CNN on Monday, Pritzker said, "People are getting detained, they’re getting arrested: U.S. citizens. They did this when they raided a building in the middle of the night in South Shore [Chicago]. One hundred thirty people, they were emptied out of this building. They were going after a few gang members, and instead, they broke windows, they broke down doors, they ransacked the place... They are the ones that are making it a war zone."
"Law enforcement conducted a targeted operation at an apartment building in the South Shore community of Chicago," DHS said in response. "This operation, conducted by the CBP, the FBI, and the ATF, resulted in the arrest of 37 illegal aliens, from such countries as Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, and Nigeria. Among them were Tren de Aragua gang members and violent criminals."
"DHS has routinely debunked the absurd claim that DHS is targeting U.S. citizens during ICE operations. ICE does not arrest or deport U.S. citizens. Any U.S. citizens arrested are because of obstructing or assaulting law enforcement," it also said.
Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The Illinois governor said on Monday, "On September 12, ICE shot and killed a man in Franklin Park, a nearby suburb of Chicago. His name was Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez. Reports say that he had just dropped his kids off at a daycare and was headed to work."
"Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez was an illegal alien who, when law enforcement ordered him to stop his car, instead drove his car at the officers. One of the ICE officers was hit by the car and dragged a significant distance. Fearing for his own life and broader public safety, the officer fired his weapon," according to DHS. "Despite his injuries, the officer and his partner immediately started administering emergency medical care to the illegal alien, who was pronounced dead. Villegas-Gonzalez, who was the target of the operation, was a criminal illegal alien with a history of reckless driving."
Then Pritzker added, "In the small suburban village of Broadview, with a population of 8,000, federal agents have turned two blocks of protest areas into a warzone by firing tear gas and chemical agents at peaceful protesters."
"Rioters against DHS and other law enforcement in Illinois have been anything but peaceful. Over the weekend, Border Patrol law enforcement officers were ambushed by domestic terrorists that rammed federal agents with their vehicles," Homeland Security said. "One woman, Marimar Martinez, driving one of the vehicles, was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and has a history of doxxing federal agents. She took defensive fire from CBP agents, has been discharged from the hospital, and is currently in the custody of the FBI. The driver of another vehicle, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, involved in the ramming, has been apprehended by law enforcement."
Pritzker also said Monday that, "Peaceful protesters have been hit with tear gas and shot with rubber bullets. Journalists simply reporting the facts on the ground have been targeted and arrested. Us citizens, including children, have been traumatized and detained. This escalation of violence is targeted and intentional and premeditated. The Trump Administration is following a playbook, cause chaos, create fear and confusion."
"The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly — not rioting. DHS is taking reasonable and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers," DHS said in response. "ICE officers are facing a nearly 1000% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, and gang members. We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks — though our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights."
During his CNN interview with host Jake Tapper, Pritzker also said, "They’re raiding neighborhoods, where, instead of going after the bad guys, they’re just picking up people who are brown and [B]lack and then checking their credentials."
"Since Operation Midway Blitz began in Illinois last month, ICE and CBP officers have arrested more than 1,000 illegal aliens — including the worst of the worst pedophiles, child abusers, kidnappers, gang members, and armed robbers," DHS said. "We have also arrested multiple members of the gang Tren de Aragua, and illegal aliens with criminal histories that include drug trafficking, child rape, and murder, among other violent convictions. Allegations that DHS law enforcement officers engage in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE. What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S. — NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity."
And lastly, Pritzker said, "There were people who were held, elderly people, and children zip-tied, elderly people held for three hours at a time," during the South Shore operation.
"The claim that a toddler was zip-tied originated from a screenshot that went viral, with the original poster claiming it showed an ICE officer zip-tying a child. This has been debunked: The screenshot in question was from a parody video on TikTok for entertainment, where the officer in the video was the father of the toddler seen in the image," according to DHS.
Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
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