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Kristi Noem, acting as Donald Trump's top security official, referred to Chicago as "a war zone" on Sunday. This came following government officers shot a woman, and the governor of Illinois claimed the administration of fueling the situation instead of resolving it.

The Governor's Comments on Fox News

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday morning, Noem targeted the Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson. Johnson has publicly opposed of the Trump administration’s Ice raids and sending of the state troops in Illinois, an action he labeled "unhinged and unhealthy".

"It’s wrong, penalties are necessary for that and for leaders that stand up and knowingly lie about the actual conditions," remarked. "His city is a war zone and he is dishonest so that lawbreakers can go in there and harm residents."

Federal Deployment and Trump's Authorization

These comments followed Trump’s authorization to send hundreds of personnel of the state guard to Chicago, with orders to safeguard federal officers and facilities. This action occurred just weeks after military personnel were dispatched to Washington, where the president federalized the local police in what he described as a "crackdown" on crime, a pattern now extending to multiple other US cities. "We will address Chicago likely soon," the president stated previously.

Noem's Justification of Government Measures

Noem defended the administration’s course of action, insisting on television that residents backed the federal involvement. "Residents know that in areas we've entered we have made it much more free," she remarked. "Safety has improved, we have removed numerous offenders that are no longer roaming of Chicago, simply because our presence is established."

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Responds

Speaking on a CNN program on Sunday, the state's Democratic leader, JB Pritzker, accused the administration of escalating the crisis rather than resolving it. "They are the ones who are turning it into a battlefield," he stated.

"They must leave of Chicago. Unless they concentrate on the worst of the worst, as the president said they are going to do, they need to get the heck out."

Border Patrol Shooting Details

Federal officers on Saturday fired at and wounded a woman while shooting at someone who tried to run them over. The injured female was a American and was armed with a firearm, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, noting that the woman was alleged in a US Customs and Border Protection intelligence bulletin last week of doxing agents.

Pritzker's Criticism on Online Platform

The governor also denounced the action in a message on X on Saturday, writing: "The federal security agency gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we shall." Pritzker called the decision "completely unacceptable and against American values," and noted that it had been made "against our will".