Trump sends National Guard to Chicago, Texas guard deployed in Illinois

(ASSOCIATED PRESS) — National Guard troops are positioned outside Chicago and could also be in Memphis by Friday, as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes ahead with an aggressive policy toward big-city crime — whether local leaders support it or not.

Troops’ presence at an Illinois Army Reserve center came despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders. Their exact mission was not clear, but the Trump administration launched an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city last month and protestors have frequently rallied at an immigration building in nearby Broadview.

Trump has called Chicago a “hellhole” of crime despite police statistics showing significant drops in crime, including homicides.

In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee has said troops will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service to “play a critical support role” for law enforcement, though that hasn’t been defined yet.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said a small group of commanders was already in the city, planning for the arrival of Guard troops.

Illinois and Chicago are urging a federal judge to stop “Trump’s long-declared ‘War’” on the state. A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday. An appeals court hearing over the government’s bid to deploy the Guard to Portland, Oregon, also is scheduled for Thursday. A judge there blocked those efforts over the weekend.

Видео Trump sends National Guard to Chicago, Texas guard deployed in Illinois канала 13WMAZ