Trump administration calls Chicago a 'war zone' as court blocks troop deployment
CHICAGO: The Trump administration branded Chicago a "war zone" on Sunday (Oct 5) as it sought to justify deploying soldiers against the will of local Democratic officials, while a judge blocked the White House from sending troops to another Democratic-run city.
An escalating political crisis has pitted President Donald Trump’s anti-crime and migration crackdown against Democrats who accuse him of an authoritarian power grab.
Trump late on Saturday authorised the deployment of 300 National Guard soldiers to Chicago, the United States’ third-largest city, despite objections from the mayor and state governor JB Pritzker.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the move on Fox News, claiming Chicago was "a war zone".
LOCAL LEADERS PUSH BACK
Pritzker, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, accused Republicans of seeking to provoke unrest.
"They want to create the war zone, so that they can send in even more troops," he said. "They need to get the heck out."
A CBS poll released on Sunday found that 58 per cent of Americans oppose deploying the National Guard to US cities. Trump, who last week described his strategy as a "war from within", has shown no sign of backing down.
In an untrue claim, he said: "Portland is burning to the ground. It’s insurrectionists all over the place."
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed the president’s language, telling NBC’s Meet the Press that troops deployed in Washington had responded to a "literal war zone", a description at odds with reality.
COURT BLOCKS PORTLAND DEPLOYMENT
Trump’s effort to deploy troops on US soil was dealt a setback on Saturday when a federal court in Portland, Oregon, ruled the deployment unlawful.
US District Judge Karin Immergut wrote that the president’s determination was "simply untethered to the facts".
"This is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law," she said in her ruling.
Although Portland has seen scattered attacks on federal officers and property, Immergut said the administration failed to show "that those episodes of violence were part of an organised attempt to overthrow the government".
Trump adviser Stephen Miller called the ruling "legal insurrection".
NEWSOM TO SUE OVER GUARD DEPLOYMENT
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a leading Democratic critic of Trump, said the president had deployed his state’s National Guard to Oregon without authorisation and vowed to sue.
"His deployment of the California National Guard to Oregon isn’t about crime. It’s about power. He is using our military as political pawns to build up his own ego," Newsom said.
SHOOTING IN CHICAGO AMID FEDERAL RAIDS
The Trump crackdown has been led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has rapidly expanded in both scope and manpower.
Armed ICE teams in unmarked vehicles have staged raids across Democratic-run cities, sparking protests and confrontations.
In Chicago, tensions turned violent on Saturday when a federal officer shot a motorist the Department of Homeland Security said was armed and rammed a patrol vehicle.
DHS officials also said ICE officers fatally shot 38-year-old immigrant Silverio Villegas Gonzalez during a traffic stop on Sep 12, alleging he tried to flee and dragged an officer with his vehicle.
