Chicago Dem Rips City Leaders, Praises Trump’s Law Enforcement Effort
One Democratic official in Chicago is breaking ranks — and he’s not mincing words.
Ray Lopez, a longtime Democratic alderman representing the city’s 15th Ward, publicly backed President Donald J. Trump’s decision to send more federal personnel into Chicago amid escalating violence and unrest, saying most residents in his district support the move.
In an interview with Fox News, Lopez said the narrative pushed by Democratic leaders like Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson — who claim Trump is “declaring war” on Chicago — couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Absolutely not. There are many people in the city of Chicago who completely support having the additional resources to keep both ICE agents and community protesters safe,” Lopez said.
He went on to torch his own party’s leadership for what he called an “abdication of responsibility.”
“What we have seen is a complete abdication of responsibility, both by Governor Pritzker and by the mayor of the city of Chicago, who have refused up until this point to allow police just to maintain the peace for protesters and for ICE agents doing their job,” Lopez said. “We need to bring some sanity back to the conversation, and a majority of Chicagoans want to see that happen.”
His remarks came as the Trump administration moved to deploy 300 Texas National Guard troops to reinforce federal agents after weeks of unrest outside federal facilities. The move followed a shocking incident in which far-left militants rammed and surrounded federal agents, leaving at least one armed.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the deployment, though the Pentagon defended the operation as part of its “Federal Protection Mission to protect federal functions, personnel, and property.”
Despite the legal hurdles, the administration has already sent hundreds of additional officers from agencies like ICE and CBP to bolster security and carry out deportation operations.
At the center of the chaos is the Broadview, Illinois federal facility, which has faced near-daily attacks from violent far-left activists. Rioters have hurled rocks, slashed tires, and blocked vehicles. Some Democratic congressional hopefuls — including Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and activist Kat Abughazaleh — were even caught on video obstructing federal operations, acts federal authorities have described as felonies.
Federal agents have responded with pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets, often while outnumbered. The violence reached new heights last weekend when about ten vehicles intentionally rammed and trapped federal agents, prompting agents to return fire in self-defense.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said additional special operations units are being deployed to Illinois following the twin ramming attacks, calling the assaults “organized and escalating acts of domestic terrorism.”
But instead of backing law enforcement, Governor Pritzker escalated his feud with President Trump — even daring him to “come and get me” after Trump posted on Truth Social that both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers.”
Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Pritzker accused the administration of “lacking integrity” and called Trump “a 34-time convicted felon,” ignoring the fact that Democratic prosecutors tried and failed to jail Trump for political gain throughout Biden’s term.
Lopez, meanwhile, stands nearly alone among Democrats in saying what much of Chicago already knows: the city is spiraling out of control — and federal help is long overdue.
As Trump’s administration reasserts law and order, Lopez’s comments reveal a deeper truth — even in deep-blue Chicago, ordinary citizens are fed up with chaos and want leadership that defends police, not mobs.