ILLINOIS –As the Trump Administration plans to deploy federal agents, National Guard, or active-duty military to Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker spent the week traveling across Illinois to showcase his steady leadership and how there is no emergency that requires militarized intervention.
Throughout the week, Gov. Pritzker discussed ongoing public safety efforts, met with small business owners in Bronzeville and Little Village, announced business deals and infrastructure investments in Southern Illinois, cut ribbon on a new affordable housing development on the West Side, and welcomed students back to school.
The week was anchored by an event on Monday where the Governor brought together nearly 100 people representing the diverse fabric of Chicago’s vibrant civic society – from business executives to pastors to other community leaders – and sent a clear, unified message to the country: There is no emergency in Chicago or Illinois warranting the deployment of troops to our great state.
Here's the week in photos:
MONDAY IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
Gov. Pritzker stands alongside business, education, religious, and community leaders to emphasize that there is no emergency in Chicago warranting a National Guard deployment at a press conference on the River Front. (Office of the Governor) Gov. Pritzker talks to reporters on a Chicago River water taxi. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)Gov. Pritzker joins museum leadership, elected officials, and community members to celebrate the grand opening of Illinois Holocaust Museum presents Experience360, a new satellite museum located in the heart of downtown Chicago. (Office of the Governor)
TUESDAY IN DECATUR
Gov. Pritzker and Jerry Costello II, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, meet with exhibitors at the 2025 Farm Progress Show in Decatur after announcing a $2 billion investment from Cronus Chemicals LLC (Cronus) to construct a new fertilizer production facility in Tuscola. (Office of the Governor)Gov. Pritzker speaks with an exhibitor at the 2025 Farm Progress Show in Decatur. (Office of the Governor)
WEDNESDAY ON THE WEST AND SOUTH SIDES OF CHICAGO
Gov. Pritzker joins Black Men United for a ribbon cutting of a new affordable housing facility in Maywood. (Office of the Governor)Gov. Pritzker meets with attendees at the Black Men United ribbon cutting for a new affordable housing facility in Maywood. (Office of the Governor)Gov. Pritzker speaks with a Chicago police officer in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley/AP)Gov. Pritzker stands with Kristen “Chef Krissy” Ashley Harper, owner and chef of Cleo’s in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley/AP)
THURSDAY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Gov. Pritzker joins Manner Polymers and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to cut the ribbon on the company’s new 108,000-square-foot, 100% solar-powered manufacturing facility in Mount Vernon. (Office of the Governor)Gov. Pritzker joins the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and state and local leaders at the Shawneetown Regional Port District today to break ground on a new fertilizer distribution center along the Ohio River. (Office of the Governor)
FRIDAY IN THE SOUTH SUBURBS AND LITTLE VILLAGE
Gov. Pritzker greets students as they enter their classroom at Wagoner Elementary School in Community Consolidated Schools District (CCSD) 168 in Sauk Village to celebrate the start of the school year. (Office of the Governor)Gov. Pritzker visits with students at Wagoner Elementary School in Community Consolidated Schools District (CCSD) 168 in Sauk Village.(Office of the Governor) Gov. Pritzker meets with patrons of Los Candiles in Little Village. (Office of the Governor)Gov. Pritzker talks with residents of the Little Village neighborhood. (Office of the Governor)
