US President Donald Trump has authorized the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to Chicago to address what he describes as out-of-control crime. This decision follows a clash between immigration authorities and protesters in the Democrat-run city.
An armed woman was shot after she and others rammed their cars into law enforcement vehicles, officials reported. Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said agents were unable to move their vehicles and exited the car. One of the drivers who rammed the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, she added.
“Law enforcement was forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed US citizen,” McLaughlin stated.
Meanwhile, in Portland, Oregon, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying 200 troops. Judge Karin Immergut called Trump’s statements about conditions in Portland “untethered to the facts.” She also ruled that the move violated the Constitution and risked the sovereignty of states.
Reaction from Leaders
State and local leaders have criticized Trump’s deployment plans for weeks, calling it an abuse of power. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker accused Trump of “attempting to manufacture a crisis.” Chicago joins other Democrat-led cities like Washington, Los Angeles, Memphis, and Portland in facing controversial troop deployments.
The deployments have raised legal and constitutional questions. Typically, a state’s governor deploys National Guard troops, and century-old laws limit the government’s use of the military for domestic matters. Consequently, any deployment in Chicago would likely face legal challenges.
Chicago has seen an increase in protests over immigration enforcement, particularly outside US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. Although violent crime in Chicago has decreased significantly over the past two years, the overall levels remain higher than the average for many US cities. For example, over the Labor Day holiday weekend last month, at least 58 people were shot, with eight fatalities.
White House Statement
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated that amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, which local leaders like Governor Pritzker have refused to quell, President Trump authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets. “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” she emphasized.
On Saturday, just before authorizing troops for Chicago, US Border Patrol personnel shot a woman after a group of people rammed cars into immigration enforcement vehicles. The woman was armed and drove herself to a local hospital, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Earlier this week, President Trump discussed his ongoing military deployments to US cities with high-ranking military leaders. He expressed his desire to use American cities as “training grounds” for US troops to combat the “enemy from within” and quell unrest.
“They’re very unsafe places and we’re going to straighten them out one by one,” Trump said of Democratic-led cities, including Chicago. He told military leaders that this would be “a major part for some of the people in this room.”
Trump has threatened to send troops to Chicago for nearly a month, citing crime and shootings in the city.
