Kristi Noem Calls Chicago a 'War Zone' After Government Officers Injure Woman

South Dakota's governor, who serves as Donald Trump's top security official, referred to Chicago as "a war zone" on Sunday. This occurred after federal agents shot a woman, and the governor of Illinois claimed the federal government of worsening the crisis rather than fixing it.

The Governor's Appearance on Fox News

Speaking on a news channel on Sunday, Noem targeted the city’s mayor, Brandon Johnson. The mayor has publicly opposed of the federal immigration operations and sending of the national guard in Illinois, a measure he labeled "irrational and harmful".

"This is incorrect, there should be consequences for that and for leaders that speak out and deliberately mislead about the actual conditions," remarked. "Chicago is a battlefield and he’s lying so that lawbreakers can go in there and harm residents."

Federal Deployment and The President's Order

Noem’s remarks came after Trump’s authorization to send 300 members of the Illinois national guard to Chicago, with instructions to safeguard government agents and property. This action happened just shortly after military personnel were sent to Washington, where the president federalized the local police in what he described as a "clampdown" on crime, a strategy now extending to a string of other US cities. "We will address Chicago probably next," Trump had said at the time.

Noem's Defense of Government Measures

The governor supported the government's strategy, insisting on television that locals supported the government intervention. "They understand that in areas we've entered we have increased freedom," she remarked. "Safety has improved, we have got a thousand criminals that are off the streets of Chicago, just because our presence is established."

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Replies

Appearing on a CNN program on Sunday, the state's Democratic leader, Governor Pritzker, claimed the administration of escalating the crisis instead of resolving it. "They are the ones who are turning it into a battlefield," he stated.

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

Federal Agents Shooting Information

Border patrol agents on Saturday fired at and wounded 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, a government spokeswoman 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 action in a post on X on Saturday, stating: "The federal security agency 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".