White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reacts as he speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 6, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
Stephen Miller's grim threat that Democratic officials could face arrest for "seditious conspiracy" if they try to hinder President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown was met with widespread backlash Friday night.
During a conversation with Fox News host Will Cain, Miller threatened that any official, including Pritzker, may be engaged in criminal activity if they participate in what he referred to as a "criminal conspiracy" to obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws or to illegally instruct police or officials to interfere with or even arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
The Trump aide listed off charges that could befall such officials, including obstructing justice, harboring illegal aliens, and impeding the enforcement of immigration laws. More serious charges could also apply, he warned."Then as you get up the scale of behavior, you obviously get into seditious conspiracy charges depending on the conduct, and many other offenses," he said. "It depends on the action, it depends on the conduct, it depends on what is taking place."
The shocking remarks reverberated across social media, leaving critics aghast.
Matt Hill, deputy chief of staff for communications for Pritzker, was stunned after watching the remarks.
"Holy crap. @GovPritzker did ONE interview on Fox and Stephen Miller is freaking out. All the Gov did was appoint experts to collect videos and testimony of what’s happening in Chicago. Now, Miller is threatening to silence Illinoisans and arrest their Governor," he wrote on X.
Stuart Stevens, senior advisor of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, wrote on X, "This latest from @StephenM is further evidence why states like Ca. and Illinois need to use existing law to stand up fully functioning state militias under state control."
Former Trump administration national security official Miles Taylor expressed a dark sentiment on X.
"Feels like we’re going down the rabbit hole pretty fast here, folks," he warned.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) wrote on X, "Stephen Miller is the most evil, fascist, wannabe authoritarian in the Trump regime. And that’s saying something."
Conservative attorney George Conway of the anti-Trump site The Bulwark took a shot at Miller on X.
"It's hard to Nazi what's going on here," he wrote.
Former Obama speechwriter and host of the popular "Pod Save America" podcast Jon Favreau clapped back at Miller on X, "No, ICE officers do not have immunity to assault and arrest unarmed Americans without a warrant."
Bill Carter a New York Times media reporter for over 25 years, wrote on X, "So when they illegally detain someone like Debbie Brockman, WGN reporter, or push some other HS citizens to to ground, and they happen to break an arm of a leg, this wanna-be brown shirt says they have immunity? But no one better dare use the N-word, German edition, on these ppl?"
Jason DeSanto, a distinguished senior lecturer at Northwestern School of Law, jabbed on X, "Hysterical ninny Nazi say what."
Harris Peskin, partner at ESG law, raged on X that "Joe Biden and Merrick Garland will go down in history as the biggest failures in our country’s history," referring to the failed criminal prosecutions of Trump.
Former Republican trial attorney John Jackson fact-checked Miller.
"Miller is wrong again. This limited immunity is QUALIFIED and is for civil cases only. By his logic, ICE agents can commit mass-murder with zero repercussions. Not how this works, in any way, shape, or form," he wrote on X.