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Illinois Gov. Pritzker Urges Democratic 'Project 2029' to Pursue Trump Officials and Federal Agents Who 'Broke the Law'

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, in a newly reported interview with the New York Times, calls for Democrats to build a formal 'Project 2029' policy blueprint that would include criminal and civil prosecutions of Trump administration officials and federal agents he says have 'broken the law' if Democrats regain the White House in 2028. Pritzker frames the effort as necessary to 'restore the rule of law,' explicitly telling interviewer Lulu Garcia-Navarro that he is 'talking about the people in this administration who’ve broken the law and federal agents who’ve broken the law' and that they should be 'criminally prosecuted, civilly prosecuted, whatever it is that we can do.' The Fox article situates his remarks against his ongoing clashes with Trump over immigration enforcement, including his lawsuit against the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago that produced a temporary restraining order from U.S. District Judge April Perry and was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court, prompting the administration to withdraw the troops. It also notes separate litigation over alleged misconduct by federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, where protesters claim tear gas and force violated their constitutional rights, highlighting the concrete disputes Pritzker appears to have in mind. The comments feed a wider online debate over whether Democrats should mirror the right’s Heritage-backed 'Project 2025' playbook by planning explicit legal retaliation against officials of the current administration, and whether such talk represents a defense of accountability or a blueprint for tit-for-tat criminalization of politics.

JB Pritzker Trump Administration Legal and Political Conflicts Immigration Enforcement and Civil Liberties

📌 Key Facts

  • Pritzker told the New York Times Democrats should adopt a 'Project 2029' to 'restore the rule of law' by 'holding people accountable who’ve broken the law.'
  • He specified that he was referring to 'people in this administration who’ve broken the law and federal agents who’ve broken the law,' and said they should be 'criminally prosecuted, civilly prosecuted.'
  • Pritzker previously sued the Trump administration over its National Guard deployment to Chicago; U.S. District Judge April Perry issued a temporary restraining order that the Supreme Court upheld before the administration withdrew the troops.
  • The article also references ongoing litigation over alleged constitutional violations by federal immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, where protesters accuse federal officers of unlawful force and tear gas use.

📊 Relevant Data

The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act eliminated national origins quotas, leading to a significant increase in immigration from Latin America and Asia, which has diversified the U.S. population with Hispanics comprising about 19% and Asians about 6% of the total population by 2023.

Fifty Years On, the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act Continues to Reshape the United States — Migration Policy Institute

Chicago's immigrant population reached nearly 600,000 in 2024, representing about 21% of the city's total population and marking the highest level since 2006, with recent growth driven by international migration increasing the overall population by 2% between 2023 and 2024.

A portrait of immigrants in Chicago: Immigrant population reaches its highest level since 2006 — WBEZ

In Illinois, police traffic stops show racial disparities, with Black drivers stopped at 1.7 times the rate of White drivers and Latino drivers at 1.11 times the rate in 2024 data.

New Data Shows Traffic Stops in Illinois Continue to Escalate as Racial Disparities Persist — ACLU of Illinois

During Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago in 2025, ICE arrested over 1,600 people, with most not having criminal records according to ICE data, and Illinois saw one of the sharpest increases in arrests nationwide.

New ICE Midway Blitz Data Shows What Happened to Arrestees — The Marshall Project

Immigration has mixed effects on wages, with some studies indicating a slight depression in wages for low-skilled U.S.-born workers (e.g., 0.15% national increase after hypothetical reductions in unauthorized immigration), while overall boosting economic growth and labor demand.

New Research Finds Reducing Immigration Does Not Help U.S. Workers — Forbes

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