CHICAGO – Gov. J.B. Pritzker suggested Wednesday that the National Guard could arrive in Chicago as soon as Friday and begin operations over the weekend, though the deployment has not been officially confirmed.
The possible move is part of President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown initiative. Pritzker urged Chicago residents to remain vigilant.
What we know:
“We have an idea… they haven’t confirmed any of that to us, but what we’re hearing is that (the National Guard) will be assembled, ready to go on Friday, and that they would begin actions on Saturday over the weekend,” Pritzker said during a press conference on Wednesday.
His comments followed Trump’s Oval Office announcement Tuesday, in which the president criticized Pritzker, a Democrat, for rejecting federal intervention. Trump also referenced Chicago’s violent Labor Day weekend, when eight people were killed and 48 others wounded by gunfire.
Trump confirmed he would send the National Guard to Chicago, but did not provide a timeline.
“We’re going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it because I have an obligation to protect this country,” Trump said.
The president expanded his criticism to other Democratic-led states, calling Chicago, Baltimore and parts of Los Angeles “hellholes.”
Federal Presence:
Pritzker said additional U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were also headed to Chicago and that Illinois State Police had been notified.
“We’ve asked the public to be ready with your iPhone and any way that you can to record what’s going on in their neighborhoods by ICE because we think that’s the best way to demonstrate what ICE is doing if they’re doing something wrong or to keep them honest and doing the right because they know they’re being watched,” Pritzker said on Wednesday.
The governor said the Guard’s potential arrival in Chicago could resemble deployments seen in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., with armed federal agents and military vehicles on city streets.
He emphasized that Illinois and Chicago officials could not legally block the Guard’s presence.
“We cannot stand in the way. It’s not like we’re going to have armed men standing in between. That’s not something that’s legal. That’s not something that the State of Illinois can engage in or the City of Chicago can engage. What we’re trying to do is to get them to follow the law. And when they are not following the law, we can take them to court, prosecute them if they’re doing something truly illegal,” Pritzker said.
Trump on Tuesday urged Pritzker to call and request federal help. Pritzker has refused, reiterating his position Wednesday.
“Let me be clear. The President is begging me to call him, to ask him to do something that we don’t want. He wants me to called him and ask him to call in National Guard to the city of Chicago. We don’t it. So that’s why I’m not calling the President. I have been very clear about what we do want. What we do is want civilian law enforcement assistance.”
What’s next:
It remains unclear if or when the National Guard will be deployed to Chicago.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by a press conference held by Pritzker and previous FOX 32 reporting.