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South Dakota's governor, who serves as President Trump's homeland security secretary, labeled Chicago as "a combat zone" on Sunday. This came after federal agents shot a woman, while the governor of Illinois claimed the federal government of worsening the situation rather than fixing it.

The Governor's Appearance on Fox News

During an appearance on a news channel on Sunday, Noem criticized the city’s mayor, Brandon Johnson. Johnson has been a vocal critic of the federal Ice raids and deployment of the state troops in Illinois, a measure he called "unhinged and unhealthy".

"This is incorrect, there should be consequences for that and for leaders that stand up and knowingly lie about the actual conditions," Noem stated. "His city is a battlefield and he’s lying so that criminals can enter and destroy people’s lives."

Government Action and The President's Order

Noem’s remarks came after Trump’s authorization to deploy hundreds of personnel of the Illinois national guard to Chicago, with orders to protect government agents and property. This action happened just shortly after national guard troops were sent to Washington, where the commander-in-chief took control of the local police in what he called a "crackdown" on crime, a pattern now reaching a string of other US cities. "We’re going to be doing Chicago likely soon," Trump had said at the time.

The Secretary's Justification of Government Actions

Noem defended the government's strategy, insisting on Fox that locals backed the government intervention. "They understand that in areas we've entered we have increased freedom," she remarked. "Safety has improved, we have got a thousand criminals that are off the streets of Chicago, simply because we’ve been there."

State Leader JB Pritzker Responds

Appearing on a CNN program Sunday, the state's Democratic leader, Governor Pritzker, claimed the administration of fueling the problem instead of resolving it. "It is they who are turning it into a battlefield," he said.

"They need to get out of Chicago. Unless they concentrate on the most dangerous criminals, which is what the president said they intend to do, they should depart immediately."

Federal Agents Shooting Details

Federal officers on Saturday shot and injured a female while firing at an individual who tried to run them over. The injured female was a American and was carrying a semi-automatic weapon, a government spokeswoman an official said, noting that the woman was accused in a US Customs and Border Protection intelligence bulletin last week of revealing agents' private information.

The Governor's Criticism on Online Platform

Pritzker also condemned the deployment in a message on X on Saturday, writing: "The Trump Administration’s security agency gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will." He labeled the decision "completely unacceptable and against American values," and added that it had been made "against our will".