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Kristi Noem, acting as Donald Trump's homeland security secretary, referred to Chicago as "a war zone" on Sunday. This came following government officers injured a female, while the governor of Illinois accused the federal government of worsening the crisis rather than resolving it.

Noem's Comments on Television

Speaking on Fox News Sunday morning, Noem targeted the Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson. The mayor has been a vocal critic of the federal Ice raids and sending of the state troops in Illinois, an action he labeled "unhinged and unhealthy".

"This is incorrect, penalties are necessary for that and for officials that stand up and deliberately mislead about the situation on the ground," Noem stated. "His city is a war zone and he’s lying so that lawbreakers can enter and destroy people’s lives."

Government Deployment and Trump's Authorization

Noem’s remarks came after the president's order to send hundreds of personnel of the Illinois national guard to Chicago, with instructions to protect government agents and facilities. The move occurred just shortly after military personnel were dispatched to Washington, where the president federalized the local police in what he called a "crackdown" on crime, a pattern now extending to multiple other US cities. "We will address Chicago probably next," the president stated previously.

Noem's Justification of Government Actions

Noem defended the administration’s course of action, insisting on television that locals backed the federal involvement. "Residents know that in areas we've entered we have made it much more free," she remarked. "People are much safer, we have removed numerous offenders that are no longer roaming of Chicago, simply because we’ve been there."

State Leader Governor Pritzker Responds

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, the state's Democratic leader, Governor Pritzker, claimed the administration of fueling the crisis rather than solving it. "It is they who are turning it into a battlefield," he stated.

"They need to get out of Chicago. Unless they concentrate on the most dangerous criminals, which is what the commander-in-chief promised they intend to do, they need to get the heck out."

Federal Agents Shooting Details

Border patrol agents on Saturday fired at and wounded a woman while firing at someone who tried to run them over. The injured female was a US citizen and was armed with a firearm, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated, adding that the woman was alleged in a US Customs and Border Protection alert last week of revealing agents' private information.

The Governor's Criticism on Online Platform

Pritzker also condemned the deployment in a message on X on Saturday, writing: "The Trump Administration’s Department of War 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 "without our consent".