Up First from NPR

Episode: IL Gov. Pritzker On Crime, Immigration, Trump's 'Power Grab'
Date: September 10, 2025
Host: Steve Inskeep
Guest: Governor J.B. Pritzker (Illinois)
Location: National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago

Overview

This special edition of NPR's Up First features a face-to-face interview with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, exploring high-stakes tensions between Chicago/Illinois and the Trump administration over federal immigration enforcement, the use of federal agents and National Guard, issues of crime in Chicago, and broader questions about justice, values, and political leadership. The conversation also ranges into Governor Pritzker’s own political future and thoughts on reforming American government.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Federal Agents and Immigration Enforcement in Chicago

• Recent Developments: Federal agents, particularly ICE, have increased their presence and aggression in Chicago, with new tactics and vehicles, which Pritzker and others see as a dangerous escalation.

• Governor’s Stance: Pritzker blocked deployment of the National Guard but hasn't blocked ICE. He accuses the federal approach of "attacking" Chicago and pursuing a "power grab."

• Legal and Ethical Concerns: Pritzker condemns Supreme Court rulings that he believes roll back progress against racial profiling and expresses shock at ICE tactics against residents based on accent or skin color.

  "People are being grabbed and they're being thrown into vans. That's different than questioning people."
  — J.B. Pritzker [00:06]

  "You shouldn't have to walk around with papers the way that they did in the early days of Nazi Germany to prove that you belong and that you're not one of them."
  — J.B. Pritzker [05:51]

Notable Moment

• Pritzker analogizes ICE's tactics to early Nazi Germany, arguing for basic civil liberties and warning against racial profiling.

2. Immigration vs. Crime: The Administration’s Conflation

• Political Motive: Pritzker argues Trump is deliberately blurring crime and immigration to push a racist agenda and militarize American cities.

  "His ends are racist ends. So he is conflating the two because he wants people to think that every person that's here that's not born in the United States is a criminal."
  — J.B. Pritzker [09:59]

• Policy Distinction: Calls for targeting violent offenders, not law-abiding immigrants long-established in the community.

  “People who've been here 10 and 20 and 30 years… we should want to have stay in this country.”
  — J.B. Pritzker [07:58]

  “Violent criminals should not be allowed to stay if they're undocumented. I've said that many, many times. But the idea that every immigrant is a criminal is ridiculous.”
  — J.B. Pritzker [10:45]

Notable Moment

• Pritzker empathetically addresses a grieving family's claim that an undocumented driver was at fault in a fatality, reinforcing his distinction between violent criminals and ordinary immigrants [09:29].

3. Crime Trends and Urban Safety in Chicago

• Pressing Problem, Measured Progress: Acknowledges recent homicides but points out Chicago’s homicide rate has halved in four years, attributing this to “community violence interruption” efforts and investments in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

• Against Militarization: Rejects the logic of responding to crime by deploying military troops, asserting the National Guard is not equipped for routine law enforcement.

  "Every crime that gets committed, especially a murder... is a shame and we ought to be working even harder. But you know how you address it? Not with military troops on the ground."
  — J.B. Pritzker [15:51]

Notable Moment

• Credits collaborative efforts led by community leaders like Arne Duncan for significant progress in crime reduction [15:28].

4. Structural Disinvestment and Government Efficiency

• Root Causes: Blames decades of disinvestment—lack of jobs, services, and opportunities—especially on Chicago's west and south sides.

• Role of Government: Laments bureaucracy, advocates for efficient, targeted investment in education, healthcare, and small business.

  "Government often gums up the works instead of standing in the way. What we ought to be doing is encouraging the creation of jobs and new businesses."
  — J.B. Pritzker [18:57]

• Bi-partisan Critique: Agrees that both parties sometimes slow progress, but insists Democrats historically and currently push more for positive investment in people.

5. Values, Wealth, and Political Identity

• Plutocracy Critique: Rebuts accusation that government by billionaires—Trump, his cabinet, or Pritzker himself—means government for the rich:

  "I believe it's about your values and not about how much money you have."
  — J.B. Pritzker [20:54]

• Personal Influence of Wealth: Argues his wealth isn’t the reason for his advocacy, but rather a background in social justice and using influence to fight for working people’s rights.

6. Willingness to Confront Trump and Risk of Retribution

• Directness & Risk: Pritzker openly criticizes Trump, referencing both a track record of broken promises and the real personal danger posed by the administration’s willingness to target opponents.

  "Are you concerned personally about retribution?"
  "Of course. Are you kidding me?"
  — Steve Inskeep & J.B. Pritzker [22:43–22:45]

  "I helped to build a Holocaust museum. ... In these challenging moments, you have to decide who you are. ... Are you somebody who's an upstander and really fight? And I'm an upstander."
  — J.B. Pritzker [23:05]

Notable Moment

• Pritzker references Holocaust survivors' concepts of upstanders vs. bystanders to describe his choice to confront efforts he sees as “un-American” [23:05].

7. Political Outlook and Reform

The Trump Years and Democratic Prospects

• Ongoing Confrontation: Predicts several more years of resistance unless political control shifts in Congress.

  "For the Next three and a half years, all of us are going to have to stand up and fight, because I do not see Donald Trump retreating."
  — J.B. Pritzker [25:49]

• On 2023 & Presidential Ambitions: Dismisses prior rumors of a run for president, supports Kamala Harris as Biden’s logical successor if needed.

The Need for Government Reform

• Government “Broken”? Endorses the need for reform but rejects total dismantling, as he accuses Trump of seeking.

• Economic Change (AI, Jobs): Highlights upcoming stressors—like AI-related unemployment—and the urgent need for forward-looking policy, especially universal healthcare and living wages.

  "AI is going to affect the future of this country, employment in this country. … If we don't address that and we don't address the need for universal health care, then we're doing it wrong."
  — J.B. Pritzker [32:35]

Highlighted Quotes with Timestamps

• [00:06] Pritzker: "People are being grabbed and they're being thrown into vans. That's different than questioning people."

• [05:51] Pritzker: "You shouldn't have to walk around with papers the way that they did in the early days of Nazi Germany to prove that you belong and that you're not one of them."

• [09:59] Pritzker: "His ends are racist ends. So he is conflating the two because he wants people to think that every person that's here that's not born in the United States is a criminal."

• [10:45] Pritzker: "Violent criminals should not be allowed to stay if they're undocumented. ... But the idea that every immigrant is a criminal is ridiculous."

• [18:57] Pritzker: "Government often gums up the works instead of standing in the way. What we ought to be doing is encouraging the creation of jobs and new businesses."

• [20:54] Pritzker: "I believe it's about your values and not about how much money you have."

• [22:45] Pritzker: "Of course. Are you kidding me?" (on risk of retribution from Trump White House)

• [23:05] Pritzker: "Are you somebody who's an upstander and really fight? And I'm an upstander."

• [25:49] Pritzker: "For the Next three and a half years, all of us are going to have to stand up and fight, because I do not see Donald Trump retreating."

• [32:35] Pritzker: "AI is going to affect the future of this country, employment in this country. ... If we don't address that and we don't address the need for universal health care, then we're doing it wrong."

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Opening: Surge of federal agents & "Shipocalypse" | | 02:05 | Pritzker explains ICE tactics and legal limits | | 04:50 | Reaction to Supreme Court ruling, racial profiling | | 07:15 | Pritzker distinguishes between law-abiding & criminal immigrants | | 09:29 | Addressing a family’s loss at hands of undocumented driver | | 14:29 | Shift to crime in Chicago and policy successes | | 16:50 | Disinvestment as root of urban crime | | 18:24 | Government inefficiency, investment priorities | | 20:32 | Wealth in politics, values vs. money | | 22:43 | On risk of political retribution | | 25:43 | Ongoing confrontation: will Trump ever back down? | | 26:57 | Rumors of Pritzker as 2023 Biden backup | | 28:56 | Should next Dem nominee be a governor? | | 30:50 | Is government broken? Need for reform and prep for AI | | 32:35 | Forward-looking call for universal health care/resource reform |

Tone and Language

• Direct, Candid: The tone is assertively critical regarding the federal approach, especially Trump’s, but also reflective and empathetic, particularly when discussing victims or challenges in the community.
• Empathetic: Pritzker employs both personal conviction and historical analogies (Holocaust, immigration history) to ground his positions.
• Policy-focused, but Personal: Moves between systemic analysis and personal values, never shying from contentious issues or acknowledging risks.

Summary for Newcomers

This episode is an unflinching, wide-ranging conversation with a high-profile blue-state governor on the front lines of national debates over immigration, policing, the proper use of federal power, and urban renewal. Governor J.B. Pritzker positions himself as a guardian of civil liberties and urban investment in stark opposition to what he sees as the Trump administration's punitive and divisive tactics. He provides insight into both policy successes and ongoing struggles in Chicago, frames his approach around fundamental values and lessons from history, and hints at the stakes in coming elections and reforms needed for the future of American democracy.