Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is under fire after announcing his state will review whether to cut ties with El Salvador over the detainment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an accused MS-13 member who was deported by the Trump administration.
Pritzker framed the decision as a stand for civil liberties, declaring that “due process” is under attack and blaming former President Trump for supposedly “ripping apart our most basic rights.”
“The United States Constitution guarantees due process,” Pritzker said in a statement. “We are witnessing Donald Trump erode our fundamental Constitutional rights in real time, and we must fight to restore the balance of power.”
But the move quickly became a public relations disaster.
Critics lit up social media in response to Pritzker’s announcement, accusing him of grandstanding in defense of a suspected human trafficker while ignoring more pressing issues in his own state.
“You are such a clown,” one user responded on X. “Imagine believing you matter to [El Salvador President Nayib Bukele].”
Others pointed out the glaring contradiction in priorities. “Illinois is in shambles, but [Pritzker] is once again playing international warrior,” one woman wrote. “Might want to read the Logan Act, or at least the job description for governor.”
Pritzker’s statement came after WGN-9 reported that Illinois state agencies would consider ending contracts with entities tied to El Salvador, allegedly in protest of Abrego Garcia’s ongoing detention.
The Democrat governor’s posturing follows similar efforts by federal Democrats who have treated Abrego Garcia as a political martyr. Four members of Congress recently flew to El Salvador in a failed attempt to meet with him. They were promptly turned away.
But the reaction to Pritzker’s move has been almost universally negative. Americans across the political spectrum appear baffled that any U.S. official would rally to the defense of a man deported due to gang ties, a domestic violence record, and suspected involvement in human trafficking.
As one user wrote, “You’re on the wrong side of history here, dude. No one agrees with you.”
Pritzker’s defenders say he is trying to highlight the importance of due process—but critics aren’t buying it.
“Where was your boycott of Washington, D.C., when January 6 protesters were denied due process?” one user asked. “Where is the grandstanding in support of Israel as Hamas still holds hostages in captivity?”
Pritzker’s silence on other violent crimes tied to illegal immigration is also drawing renewed attention. He said nothing after a woman in Carol Stream, Illinois, was brutally murdered by her husband—an illegal alien from Mexico. Nor did he raise objections after two foreign nationals from Ecuador and Venezuela were arrested in connection with a murder in Chicago’s Norwood Park.
But now, over a man known for flashing MS-13 tattoos and riding with convicted human smugglers, Pritzker is threatening diplomatic fallout?
Analysts say the governor may be trying to bolster his national profile ahead of 2028, but the stunt appears to have backfired.
Meanwhile, thanks to Trump’s executive orders, illegal crossings at the southern border have plummeted. As mass deportations continue and sanctuary policies come under fresh legal scrutiny, the Biden-era chaos seems to be giving way to a much stricter, enforcement-heavy approach.
Yet for Democrats like Pritzker, the focus remains on protecting individuals like Abrego Garcia—even if it means political humiliation in the process.
