Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker spent Thursday grandstanding in front of cameras asking the Department of Homeland Security to pause all ICE and CBP operations in Illinois for the Halloween weekend so children can “spend Halloween weekend without fear.” The plea came after he publicly accused federal agents of “terrorizing kids in Halloween parades” and demanded a three-day operational moratorium around sensitive locations. This is a political theater move dressed up as compassion, aimed at scoring points with his base rather than confronting the lawlessness that has followed soft-on-crime local policies.
Pritzker’s letter and press conference leaned heavily on reports that federal agents deployed tear gas at a children’s Halloween parade on Chicago’s northwest side, a disturbing claim if true and one that instantly became the centerpiece of his demand. No parent wants children exposed to chemical agents, and Republicans and conservatives don’t either; we simply won’t allow radical politicians to weaponize unverified stories to hamstring law enforcement. Leaders are supposed to verify facts and protect citizens, not run to the cameras with hyperbole that inflames an already dangerous situation.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and federal officials rightly rejected Pritzker’s request, saying the work to remove violent offenders and restore public safety will continue despite left-wing posturing. Noem made plain that pausing operations would be irresponsible when murderers, rapists and gang members are being targeted and returned to where they belong. This is the right instinct: political grandstanding can’t take precedence over the safety of everyday Americans who have been suffering under a crime surge.
Former acting ICE director Jonathan Fahey didn’t mince words when he joined The Ingraham Angle to mock the governor’s demand, pointing out the absurdity of telling federal law enforcement to stand down while cities burn and criminals roam free. Conservatives know America’s brave federal agents don’t deserve to be lectured by sanctuary-state politicians who refuse to cooperate on public-safety efforts. Fahey’s blunt pushback was a welcome dose of common sense on a network that continues to expose the misdirection coming from blue-state elites.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department’s so-called “Operation Midway Blitz” and related enforcement actions have netted thousands of arrests in recent weeks, and DHS officials stress that many of those taken into custody had serious criminal records that endanger neighborhoods. Pritzker’s attempt to paint immigration enforcement as indiscriminate ignores available public-safety benefits and the fact that failing to act allows dangerous people to remain on our streets. If governors truly care about children, they should support efforts that remove violent offenders, not obstruct them for a photo-op.
Make no mistake: defending law enforcement and protecting kids are not mutually exclusive, but there is a responsible way to do both—by verifying claims, coordinating with federal partners, and keeping the focus on real criminals. Politicians who reflexively side with mobs and call for pauses in enforcement are the same ones who excuse the crime that ruins neighborhoods and steals childhoods. Americans want leaders who stand with police and ICE when they go after the worst of the worst, not politicians who choose optics over order.
Patriotic Americans should be skeptical of any governor who applauds sanctuary policies and then pretends to champion children while undercutting public safety. If Pritzker truly wanted to protect families, he’d stop blocking cooperation with federal partners and work to restore law and order in his cities. In the meantime, voices like Jonathan Fahey’s on conservative platforms are doing the job of pointing out the hypocrisy and defending the brave men and women who keep our communities safe.
