A possible decision by US President Donald Trump’s administration to send federal troops to the city has been protected by the mayor of Chicago, according to an executive order signed by the mayor.
In light of what he called “credible reports” that the federal government might engage in militarized activity in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced on Saturday that he would sign the so-called Protecting Chicago Initiative.
At a press conference, the mayor said, “It is unclear at this time exactly how that will look.” “Immigration enforcement may be militarized.” National Guard personnel might also be present. In our streets, we might even see armed and active military vehicles.
According to Johnson, the order forbids interaction with US military personnel on patrols and during immigration enforcement activities, among other things.
He referred to the action as “the most extensive campaign of any city in the country to protect ourselves from the threats and actions of this out-of-control administration.”
Johnson’s announcement comes after Trump earlier this month stated that he was considering expanding his National Guard troop’s reach of other major cities across the country.
Trump called up the National Guard in what he claimed was an effort to combat crime in the US capital. Since then, the Republican leader has credited the deployment with lowering city violence rates.
However, according to the Metropolitan Police Department data, Washington, DC, is already experiencing 30-year-low violent crime, and critics worry that the crackdown will serve as a test for the US cities’ continued militarisation.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the most senior Democrat in the US House of Representatives, claimed in an interview with CNN that Trump has “no authority” to send federal troops to Chicago.
The states are given the authority to policing according to the US Constitution.
The idea was also refrained by Democratic governor of Illinois, where Chicago is located, JB Pritzker.
According to a statement from Pritzker, “Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue to abuse his power to detract from the suffering he is causing working families.”
According to unnamed sources with knowledge of the situation, CNN reported on Friday that the Trump administration had been preparing to conduct a “major immigration enforcement operation” in Chicago as soon as the following week.
White House officials told CNN that those plans are independent of Trump’s proposal to send National Guard troops to Chicago to launch a wider crackdown on crime.
The president, who served for a second term in January, has vowed to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in US history. He also pledged to carry out a hardline, anti-immigration agenda.
The administration has argued that “criminals” who are illegally entering the US are being deported, which serves as justification for its push. It has entered into agreements with third countries to accept deported migrants and asylum seekers.
However, recent media reports have revealed that many people have been ensnared in the immigration raids, including some permanent residents and Americans without criminal records.
After a protracted wave of arrests by US immigration authorities sparked widespread protests and clashes between police and demonstrators, Trump sent 4, 000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June.
White House spokesman Abigail Jackson criticized the Chicago mayor’s executive order on Saturday, saying that “cracking down on crime shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
Their communities would be much safer, according to Jackson, if these Democrats focused on reducing crime in their own cities rather than performing publicity stunts against the president.
The mayor, Johnson, stated at his press conference that it was still unclear whether Trump would carry out his plans for the city.
Johnson said, “He could change his mind, he could change his course, and I would encourage him to do that,” adding that the third-largest city in the country does not want its citizens kidnapped off the streets.
Source: Aljazeera
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