Governor Noem Calls Chicago a 'Combat Area' Following Government Agents Shoot Woman

South Dakota's governor, who serves as President Trump's homeland security secretary, labeled Chicago as "a combat zone" on Sunday. This occurred after federal agents injured a female, while the governor of Illinois claimed the administration of worsening the crisis instead of fixing it.

Noem's Comments on Television

During an appearance on Fox News on Sunday, Noem criticized the Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson. Johnson has been a vocal critic of the federal Ice raids and deployment of the state troops in Illinois, a measure he labeled "unhinged and unhealthy".

"This is incorrect, penalties are necessary for that and for leaders that speak out and deliberately mislead about the actual conditions," Noem stated. "His city is a war zone and he’s lying so that criminals can go in there and destroy people’s lives."

Government Action and Trump's Authorization

Noem’s remarks came after the president's order to deploy 300 members of the Illinois national guard to Chicago, with instructions to protect federal officers and facilities. This action happened just weeks after military personnel were dispatched to Washington, where the commander-in-chief took control of the local police in what he called a "clampdown" on crime, a pattern now reaching a string of other US cities. "We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next," Trump had said at the time.

Noem's Justification of Government Actions

The governor supported the administration’s course of action, stating on television that locals backed the government intervention. "They understand that in areas we've entered we have made it much more free," she remarked. "Safety has improved, we have removed numerous offenders that are no longer roaming of Chicago, just because we’ve been there."

State Leader JB Pritzker Responds

Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, the Democratic Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, accused the administration of escalating the problem instead of solving it. "It is they who are making it a war zone," he said.

"They need to get out of Chicago. Unless they concentrate on the most dangerous criminals, which is what the commander-in-chief promised they are going to do, they should depart immediately."

Federal Agents Incident Information

Border patrol agents on Saturday fired at and wounded a woman while firing at an individual who tried to run them over. The injured female was a American and was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, a government spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin stated, adding that the woman was alleged in a federal agency intelligence bulletin last week of doxing agents.

The Governor's Condemnation on Online Platform

The governor also denounced the deployment in a message on a social media site on Saturday, writing: "The Trump Administration’s Department of War 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 "without our consent".

Nicholas Kline
Nicholas Kline

Tech enthusiast and smart home expert with a passion for reviewing cutting-edge gadgets and simplifying IoT for everyday users.