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

Kristi Noem, who serves as Donald Trump's homeland security secretary, referred to Chicago as "a combat zone" on Sunday. This came after federal agents injured a female, and the governor of Illinois claimed the administration of fueling the crisis instead of fixing it.

The Governor's Appearance on Fox News

During an appearance on a news channel on Sunday, Noem criticized the city’s mayor, Brandon Johnson. The mayor has publicly opposed of the federal Ice raids and deployment of the national guard in Illinois, an action he called "unhinged and unhealthy".

"It’s wrong, there should be consequences for that and for officials that stand up and knowingly lie about the situation on the ground," remarked. "Chicago is a war zone and he is dishonest so that criminals can enter and destroy people’s lives."

Government Deployment and The President's Authorization

These comments came after Trump’s authorization to send hundreds of personnel of the Illinois national guard to Chicago, with instructions to safeguard federal officers and facilities. The move occurred just shortly after national guard troops were sent to Washington, where the commander-in-chief took control of the city’s police force in what he described as a "crackdown" on crime, a pattern now extending to multiple other US cities. "We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next," Trump had said at the time.

Noem's Defense of Government Measures

Noem defended the administration’s course of action, insisting on Fox that locals backed the government intervention. "They understand that where we have gone we have increased freedom," she remarked. "Safety has improved, we have got a thousand criminals that are no longer roaming of Chicago, just because we’ve been there."

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Responds

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, the Democratic Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, accused the administration of fueling the problem rather than solving it. "It is they who are turning it into a battlefield," he said.

"They must leave of Chicago. If they’re not going to focus on the most dangerous criminals, which is what the commander-in-chief promised they are going to do, they need to get the heck out."

Border Patrol Shooting Details

Federal officers on Saturday shot and injured a female while firing at someone who attempted to hit them. The woman who was shot was a American and was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, noting that the woman was alleged in a US Customs and Border Protection alert last week of doxing agents.

The Governor's Criticism on Online Platform

The governor also denounced the deployment in a message on a social media site on Saturday, stating: "The Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: mobilize your forces, or we shall." Pritzker called the decision "absolutely outrageous and un-American," and added that it had been made "without our consent".