President Donald Trump doubled down on his plan to send National Guard troops to Chicago on Tuesday.
During an Oval Office press conference, Trump was asked about Chicago’s crime rate and his idea of sending troops to the city.
“We’re going in,” Trump said of Chicago, but added, “I didn’t say when.”
Trump said he has an “obligation” to protect the country and that it was not a “political thing,” adding that the federal National Guard presence in Washington, D.C., over the last several days has driven down crime.
He also said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker should call the president and ask for troops to be sent to the city for crime. Still, Trump said he was “going to do it anyway.”
“We have the right to do it because I have an obligation to protect this country,” he said, noting that Baltimore could also see a National Guard presence.
Pritzker replied to Trump’s statements in a press conference of his own on Tuesday. He told the people of Chicago that in the coming days they will see federal agents on federal property, particularly from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. Pritzker said staging has already begun in the city and most agents were coming from Los Angeles.
The announcement comes just hours after a federal judge in California said that the June National Guard presence in Los Angeles was illegal.
Pritzker said he would not call the president to ask him to send troops. He said the administration was targeting the city for its large Mexican Independence Day celebrations over the next month.
“Let’s be clear, the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here,” he said.
Pritzker claimed that the Texas National Guard was already preparing to be deployed to Chicago. He also argued that the action was not about fighting crime or making Chicago safer, but instead targeting blue and Democratic-led cities.
The Illinois governor also said local law enforcement consistently works with federal agencies to tackle crime. Pritzker criticized the president and administration for not sending adequate resources to the city and state to drive down violence. He gave a warning to Chicagoans to protect one another and film the law enforcement actions they see. Pritzker said Tuesday that he was ready to fight Trump’s actions in court.
“I also have experience asking the president for assistance, just to have the rug pulled out from underneath me when execution meets reality. I refuse to play a reality game show with Donald Trump again. What I want are the federal dollars that have been promised to Illinois and Chicago for violence prevention programs that have proven to work,” Pritzker said.
While Trump was able to send the National Guard to Los Angeles by declaring the protests an emergency, and using Washington’s Home Rule Act in D.C., it’s unclear what the justification will look like for Chicago. The president would be opening up a large legal battle over states rights, federal overreach and public safety.