On Saturday, October 4th the Trump administration has declared Chicago a “war zone,” moving to send 300 National Guard troops into the the third-largest city in the United States. The deployment comes despite resistance from Democratic officials, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago’s mayor.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the move on Sunday, claiming on Fox News that Chicago is “a war zone“, after federal agents shot a woman.
Noem criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has repeatedly opposed the Trump administration’s ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) operations and National Guard deployment in Illinois.
“It’s wrong, there should be consequences for that and for leaders that stand up and knowingly lie about the situation on the ground,” Noem said, adding
His city is a war zone and he’s lying so that criminals can go in there and destroy people’s lives.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that “Portland is burning to the ground. It’s insurrectionists all over the place.”
Key Trump ally Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, reinforced the president’s message on Sunday, telling NBC that National Guard troops deployed in Washington had responded to a “literal war zone.”
Days of tense scenes in Chicago escalated on Saturday when a federal officer was forced to shoot a motorist who–according to the Department of Homeland Security–was armed and rammed a government patrol vehicle.
