Trump authorizes the sending of the National Guard to Chicago, where “crime has escaped” / “tries to make a crisis”, accuses a local leader
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US President Donald Trump authorized the sending of 300 soldiers of the National Guard to Chicago to combat crime out of control, a few hours after immigration authorities said they had faced protesters in the city run by Democrats, according to the BBC.
“In the context of violent revolts and chaos that local leaders such as Governor Pritzker refused to stop, President Trump authorized 300 members of the National Guard to protect officers and federal goods,” the White House announced through his spokesman Abigail Jackson.
Donald Trump's plans were criticized by local leaders, the president being accused by them of abuse of power. The governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, said Trump “is trying to make a crisis.”
Prior to the announcement that the US president authorized the sending of the National Guard to Chicago, a federal judge from Portland, Oregon, another liberal city, temporarily blocked 200 soldiers there by the Trump administration.
Judge Karin Immergut said that Trump's statements about the situation in Portland “have nothing to do with reality” and that the measure violates the Constitution. She added that the use of the army to suppress the disorders without the consent of the state of Oregon, endangers the sovereignty of that state and others, while supplying the tensions in the city and causing even wider protests.
Although it is not clear whether the troops have already arrived in Chicago, any such unfolding would be challenged in court, notes the BBC.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump spoke about military conduct in American cities, during a meeting with high -ranking military leaders.
“They are very insecure places and we will put them order one by one,” he said referring to the cities run by Democrats, including Chicago. He told military leaders that this will be “an important task for some of those present in this room.”
Trump has been threatening for almost a month that he will send troops to Chicago, invoking crime and shootings in the city.
Chicago's violent crime has decreased significantly over the past two years. Between January and June, the Homucide Rate decreased by one third compared to the same period last year, according to the Criminal Justice Council. But the general levels of Chicago remain substantially higher than the average for many US cities. At least 58 people were shot – eight deadly – on the weekend of Labor Day last month.
Photo source: dreamstime.com
