Illinois governor JB Pritzker has accused Donald Trump’s administration of racial profiling after ICE agents stopped interrogated an Indian-origin man about his immigration status and if he was “aware” of the Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral election in New York City.Pritzker condemned the federal action, calling it an example of authorities questioning US citizens “apparently based on the colour of their skin.”
I am appalled they would stop and question a state employee working hard on the job to help improve our state’s roads and infrastructure,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Our state employees should be able to go to work and do their jobs without masked agents targeting them for no legitimate reason,” he added.According to Chicago Sun Times, the employee who is Indian and a US citizen, was stopped by agents while working on the Busse Highway resurfacing project.Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security denied that the agents were from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or US Customs and Border Protection. The governor’s office did not immediately provide further details.Residents of Park Ridge grew anxious after reports of federal agents in the area prompted local schools to go into lockdown. Students and teachers in Park Ridge–Niles School District 64 were told to remain indoors, Superintendent Ben Collins confirmed, citing reports of immigration agents near several campuses.The incident follows months of intensified federal immigration activity under the Trump administration’s MAGA crackdown, fueling concerns among civil rights groups about racial and nationality-based targeting.Amid the broader enforcement drive, the GOP-led government moved to deploy the National Guard in Chicago as part of “Operation Midway Blitz.” Illinois officials challenged the decision as unconstitutional, and a federal appeals court blocked the deployment last month.
