President Donald Trump has ordered 300 National Guard troops to Chicago after federal agents were forced to open fire on a woman who allegedly rammed into officers with her car.
A spokeswoman for the White House said the President gave the green light for the Illinois National Guard to move in due to local Democrat leaders failing to address “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness”.
The spokeswoman said: “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities."
Democrat Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker slammed the decision, labelling it “a manufactured performance - not a serious effort to protect public safety”.
President Donald Trump has ordered 300 National Guard troops to Chicago
| REUTERSIn a statement, Mr Pritzker said: “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will.
“It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”
The President has repeatedly threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago and has had a long-running feud with city mayor Brandon Johnson.
In August, Mr Trump said: “Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent.
“And we’ll straighten that one out, probably next."
JB Pritzker slammed the decision, labelling it 'a manufactured performance'
|GETTY
The Illinois city has experienced a ramping up of protests in recent months, with the a large of demonstrations occurring outside US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention facilities.
Addressing top military leaders earlier this week, Mr Trump said he wanted American cities to act as "training grounds" for the military to fight the "enemy from within".
The President said: "They're very unsafe places and we're going to straighten them out one by one."
Mr Pritzker condemned the deployment of troops to his state's largest city for taking personnel away from their normal jobs and their families.
He said: “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.”
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The Illinois city has experienced a ramping up of protests in recent months
|GETTY
The announcement comes as Mr Trump's order to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops to the city of Portland was temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
On Saturday, US district judge Karin Immergut said the deployment of troops to the city risked enflaming tensions.
The White House has confirmed they will be appealing the temporary restraining order, with a spokeswoman saying: “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement.
"We expect to be vindicated by a higher court."
Mr Trump has already sent the National Guard into Los Angeles, Washington DC and Memphis.
The newest deployment to Chicago is expected to be met with legal challenges.
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