Published 12:52 IST, July 23rd 2020
Trump to send 'surge' federal forces in Chicago amid violence; Mayor warns of legal action
President Donald Trump said he will "surge" federal law enforcement officers to Chicago and other American cities to help tackle problems like gun violence.
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In order to control the worsened law and order situation with growing incidents of gun violence and other crimes in several states of the United States, President Donald Trump has announced that he will increase the presence of federal law enforcement officers in Chicago and other American cities to help tackle problems like gun violence and other crimes, according to reports.
Amid the increased violence, cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, and New York have sought help from the Trump administration for combating gun violence and other crimes arguing that only the federal government has the resources to tackle problems like guns being traded illegally across state borders.
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Trump has hence deployed federal agents in various cities to clamp down on violence. He even warned other states and cities of deployment of federal officers in the light of insufficient policing and surge in violence rate.
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Trump seemed to be speaking about the cities are run by democrats which have growing violence, suggesting that he had little option but to impose strict measures since the democrat leaders failed to control the situation.
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"No mother should ever have to cradle her dead child in her arms simply because politicians refused to do what is necessary to secure their neighbourhood and to secure their city," he said during a mid-afternoon event in the East Room.
Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr said the "extreme reactions that have demonised police" over the killing of George Floyd and the following protests have led to "a significant increase in violent crime in many cities."
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Even as the Democrat front and also a few of the Republican senators and politicians had been in support of the George Floyd Protests last months, Trump had displayed a tough stand against the crime that was perpetrated amid the protests, by going hard on the incidents of vandalism and rioting.
The US President said he would send additional federal law enforcement officials into cities including Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia to control the violence and crime rate in the city.
As the violence continues to grow in cities, Chicago reported a brutal shootout on Tuesday night. At least 14 people, including a three-year-old girl, being shot when occupants of a vehicle opened fire on funeral attendees on Chicago's South Side and the attendees too fired back in retaliation, according to police.
The shootout occurred after Democrats Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she would welcome the deployment of FBI officers from Trump but not the unidentified agents like the ones deployed in Portland. She had said she would take Trump to court if he sent unidentified federal agents to police the city. Similar sentiments were echoed by New York Mayor who threatened to take Trump to court if the President sends unidentified agents to the city.
12:52 IST, July 23rd 2020