Pritzker Tells Voters To Push ICE Agents ‘Out Of The Way’ At Polls: IL Gubernatorial Election 2026

Republican candidate Darren Bailey, who has yet to be endorsed by President Trump, blames his opponent for federal agents being needed.

Posted Fri, Apr 10, 2026 at 10:20 am CT|Updated Fri, Apr 10, 2026 at 10:25 am CT

With the Illinois General Election less than seven months away, Gov. JB Pritzker is warning voters that federal immigration agents may be present at polling locations.

During a Thursday speech at Rev. Al Sharpton’s annual National Action Network Conference in New York, the Democratic incumbent said he believes President Donald Trump could send ICE agents out in force on Nov. 3.

"We need to go with purpose and push them out of the way," said Pritzker, who earlier this week called for Trump’s removal from office following threats the president made against Iran.

RELATED: Pritzker Calls For Trump’s Removal Over ‘Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight’ Post Regarding Iran

Pritzker, who is seeking a third four-year term as governor of Illinois, is also being touted as a potential presidential candidate in 2028. The Chicago Tribune is reporting the 61-year-old, who has been one of Trump’s staunchest critics, is "pondering" a presidential run though he has not formally declared his candidacy.

"If we don’t have a fair election in November, we won’t have any more elections," Pritzker said Thursday. "They’re taking away our voting rights. They’re taking away your voting rights and we have to fight like hell to preserve those rights. So many people lost their lives doing it."

Meanwhile, Republican candidate Darren Bailey, who has not been endorsed by Trump yet as he was when he faced Pritzker in 2022, is blaming his opponent for why federal immigration agents are needed in Illinois.

Last month, Bailey was critical of the way the Trump administration rolled out "Operation Midway Blitz" and its overall handling of the immigration efforts in Illinois. At the same time, he said Pritzker’s own failed policies were the impetus for why ICE agents were sent to the state in September 2025.

"But let’s back up, and what should have been the biggest difference? The biggest difference is we don’t need federal agents in the state of Illinois," Bailey said during a breakfast of Republican primary winners on March 18 in Naperville, reports CBS Chicago. "We could have been dealing with this with state and local law enforcement, had JB Pritzker not gotten in the way and hindered that process."

RELATED: Bailey Seeks To Distance Himself From Trump, Shore Up Chicago Area Support In Pritzker Rematch

Bailey said Pritzker has "blood on his hands" following the fatal shooting of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman last month. Jose Medina, 25, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a firearm.

Gorman, 18, and four friends had been hanging out in their dormitory when they decided to go outside after midnight on March 19, where she was confronted by Medina.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Medina is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela.

RELATED: New Details Emerge In Loyola University Freshman Sheridan Gorman’s Slaying

Following the shooting, Pritzker admitted there were failures within the state’s system regarding Medina’s immigration status, but also said the Trump administration didn’t follow through on its promise to go after the "worst of the worst" when it sent ICE agents to Illinois.

Bailey is calling for the repeal of the TRUST Act, the SAFE-T Act, and an end to Chicago’s sanctuary status.

"You’re going to hear JB Pritzker and his Democrat allies try to compare me to Donald Trump and use some pretty mean words while doing it," Bailey said at the March 18 breakfast. "Well, there are things that I agree with Donald Trump about, and there are things that I disagree with him about. I am my own man. But when Trump is right, we’re going to try to do those things in Illinois."