ABC: Trump Escalating Threat to Send National Guard to Chicago After 35 People Shot over Holiday Weekend

Reporter: “Now to President Trump escalating his threat to send the National Guard to Chicago after a deadly weekend there, at least 35 people shot, five of them killed in shootings across the city just this weekend. Trump taking to social media writing the governor of Illinois should ‘better straighten out fast or we’re coming.’ This comes as the president looks to expand his immigration crackdown to Chicago. National Guard and mass deportation operations could surge there as soon as this week, but Chicago’s mayor is really putting up a fight. So, let’s bring in ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang. And Selina, what’s the latest on Trump’s threat to send in the National Guard?”
WANG: “So, law enforcement officials tell us that this plan could happen as soon as this week, in the coming days. And this comes as President Trump has repeatedly signaled that Chicago was going to be his next target. Overnight, with that social media post that you referenced, making it clear that this is also about crime, warning that Chicago better straighten it out or they’re coming. Now, this also comes as the president is trying to expand his nationwide crime crackdown. The president had deployed more than 2000 National Guard troops here in Washington, D.C.. The president declaring a public safety emergency here, really depicting this apocalyptic picture of crime spiraling out of control. But despite the president’s rhetoric on this, official statistics show that crime is actually falling in the nation’s capital. Official figures show that violent crime recently hit a 30-year low — that’s according to the Department of Justice — down 26% since last year.”
Reporter: “Chicago’s mayor and the governor are not really taking Trump’s threats too lightly. What are they saying?”
WANG: “No, they’re not. Illinois Governor Pritzker, who President Trump had slammed in that Truth Social post, overnight, he is calling this planned move an invasion, he said an invasion and also that if the administration sends troops along with ICE, that they’ll be in court because it’s illegal. And the city’s mayor of Chicago is also firing back, making it very clear that the city is not going to go along with this. In fact, the mayor signed an executive order which says that Chicago police will not collaborate with federal agents on civil immigration enforcement and urges federal law enforcement to remain uniformed and unmasked. Now, it’s not clear how effective this executive order is going to be in stopping the president’s plan. And this is just the latest Democratic-run city to clash with the president over his immigration plans, over his plans on this crime crackdown. Boston is also preparing for a potential surge in immigration enforcement. And just today, the Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem was asked whether or not the president would also target red cities, red states. Noem claims that the administration is not looking at this through a political lens.”