White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller laid out a clear warning to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and other officials in sanctuary states, specifically that any attempt to block federal immigration enforcement could lead to serious criminal charges, including seditious conspiracy.
Miller issued the warning during an appearance on Fox News’ The Will Cain Show on Friday.
The comments came in direct response to questions about how the federal government would handle resistance from state leaders like Pritzker, who has positioned Illinois as a haven for illegal immigrants through policies that limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Miller didn’t mince words, emphasizing that the law applies to everyone, from governors down to local police.
“The answer I’m about to give does not only apply to Governor Pritzker,” Miller said. “It applies to any state official, any local official, anybody who’s operating in an official capacity who conspires or engages in activity that unlawfully impedes federal law enforcement conducting their duties.”
Miller continued, “So if you engage in a criminal conspiracy to obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws or to unlawfully order your own police officers or your own officials to try to interfere with ICE officers or even to arrest ICE officers, you’re engaged in criminal activity. Different types of crimes would apply. There is obstruction of justice. There is harboring illegal aliens. There is impeding the enforcement of immigration laws.”
“And then, as you to get up the scale of behavior, you obviously get into seditious conspiracy charges, depending on the conduct, and many other offenses. So again, it depends on the action. It depends the conduct. It depends on what is taking place.”
Miller reinforced the authority of federal agents, declaring that ICE officers operate with full federal immunity during their duties, as Pritzker recentlY signed an executive order establishing an “accountability commission” to gather evidence against ICE agents, with the clear intent of holding them liable for simply doing their jobs.
“But, what we need to reassure: a couple of points. To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties, and anybody who lays a hand on you, or tries to stop you, or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony,” Miller said. “You have immunity to perform your duties and no one– no city official, no state official, no illegal alien, no leftist agitator or domestic insurrectionist– can prevent you from fulfilling your legal obligations and duties.”
Miller drove home the point that the Department of Justice is ready and prepared to act decisively against anyone committing crimes.
“And the Department of Justice has made clear that if officials cross that line into obstruction, into criminal conspiracy against the United States or against ICE officers, then they will face justice,” Miller said.
WATCH:
WOW! Stephen Miller floats SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY charges against Illinois Gov. Pritzker and other Democrats if they order the arrest of federal agents…
“It doesn’t only apply to Gov. Pritzker. It applies to ANY state official, local official, anybody who’s operating in an… pic.twitter.com/ZayXIjDrYT
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 24, 2025
Pritzker has long been a thorn in the side of federal immigration enforcement, championing sanctuary policies that directly undermine ICE’s efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens and secure our borders.
Under his leadership, Illinois enacted the TRUST Act, a law that explicitly prohibits local sheriffs and law enforcement from cooperating with ICE on civil immigration matters, effectively tying the hands of officers who might otherwise assist in detaining dangerous individuals.
This radical legislation has created a safe haven for illegals, allowing them to evade federal authorities and continue committing crimes without fear of swift removal.
Pritzker has gone even further by actively sabotaging ICE operations in Chicago through inflammatory rhetoric and executive actions. He has spread outright lies about federal law enforcement activities, such as Operation Midway Blitz, falsely claiming misconduct to rally opposition and incite protests that could lead to violence.
In one particularly outrageous statement, debunked by DHS, Pritzker claimed, “They’re raiding neighborhoods, where, instead of going after the bad guys, they’re just picking up people who are brown and black and then checking their credentials.”
“Our message to JB Pritzker: Get out of your mansion and see Chicago,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release earlier this month. “If J.B. Pritzker actually walked the streets of his own city, he would see domestic terrorists and violent rioters attacking police officers and the scourge of violent crime as a direct result of his own policies.”
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