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Kristi Noem, acting as Donald Trump's homeland security secretary, referred to Chicago as "a combat zone" on Sunday. This occurred following government officers shot a woman, while the governor of Illinois claimed the federal government of fueling the crisis rather than resolving it.

The Governor's Comments on Television

During an appearance on a news channel on Sunday, Noem targeted the Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson. The mayor has publicly opposed of the federal immigration operations and sending of the state troops in Illinois, a measure he labeled "irrational and harmful".

"It’s wrong, penalties are necessary for that and for leaders that stand up and deliberately mislead about the actual conditions," remarked. "His city is a war zone and he’s lying so that criminals can go in there and destroy people’s lives."

Government Action and The President's Authorization

These comments followed the president's order to send hundreds of personnel of the Illinois national guard to Chicago, with instructions to protect federal officers and property. This action 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 reaching multiple other US cities. "We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next," Trump had said previously.

Noem's Justification of Government Measures

The governor supported the government's strategy, 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 said. "Safety has improved, we have got a thousand criminals that are no longer roaming of Chicago, simply because we’ve been there."

State Leader Governor Pritzker Replies

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, the Democratic Illinois governor, Governor Pritzker, accused the administration of escalating the problem rather than solving it. "They are the ones who are making it a war zone," 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 are going to do, they should depart immediately."

Federal Agents Shooting Details

Border patrol agents on Saturday shot and injured a female while firing at an individual who attempted to hit them. The woman who was shot was a US citizen and was carrying a semi-automatic weapon, a government spokeswoman an official said, noting that the woman was alleged in a federal agency intelligence bulletin last week of revealing agents' private information.

Pritzker's Condemnation on Social Media

Pritzker also condemned the deployment in a post on X on Saturday, stating: "The federal security agency presented a demand: mobilize your forces, or we shall." Pritzker called the decision "absolutely outrageous and un-American," and noted that it had been made "without our consent".