Kristi Noem Calls Chicago a 'Battlefield' After Federal Officers Injure Woman
South Dakota's governor, who serves as Donald Trump's homeland security secretary, referred to Chicago as "a war zone" on Sunday. This came after federal agents injured a female, and the governor of Illinois accused the federal government of fueling the situation instead of resolving it.
The Governor's Appearance on Television
During an appearance on a news channel on Sunday, Noem criticized the Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson. The mayor has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s Ice raids and sending of the state troops in Illinois, a measure he labeled "irrational and harmful".
"It’s wrong, there should be consequences for that and for leaders that stand up and deliberately mislead about the situation on the ground," remarked. "His city is a battlefield and he’s lying so that criminals can go in there and destroy people’s lives."
Federal Deployment and The President's Order
Noem’s remarks followed the president's order to send 300 members of the state guard to Chicago, with instructions to safeguard government agents and property. This action occurred just shortly after national guard troops were sent to Washington, where the president federalized the local police in what he called a "crackdown" on crime, a strategy now extending to a string of other US cities. "We will address Chicago likely soon," the president stated previously.
Noem's Justification of Government Actions
Noem defended the administration’s course of action, insisting on television that residents backed the federal involvement. "Residents know that where we have gone we have made it much more free," she remarked. "Safety has improved, we have got a thousand criminals that are off the streets of Chicago, just because we’ve been there."
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Responds
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, the state's Democratic leader, Governor Pritzker, accused the federal government of escalating the problem rather than resolving it. "It is they who are making it a war zone," he stated.
"They need to get out of Chicago. If they’re not going to focus on the most dangerous criminals, which is what the president said they are going to do, they should depart immediately."
Border Patrol Shooting Information
Border patrol agents on Saturday shot and injured a woman while firing at an individual who tried to run them over. The injured female was a US citizen and was armed with a firearm, DHS spokesperson an official said, adding that the woman was accused in a federal agency intelligence bulletin last week of revealing agents' private information.
The Governor's Condemnation on Social Media
The governor also denounced the deployment in a message on a social media site on Saturday, writing: "The Trump Administration’s security agency gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we shall." Pritzker called the decision "absolutely outrageous and un-American," and noted that it had been made "against our will".