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South Dakota's governor, who serves as Donald Trump's top security official, labeled Chicago as "a combat zone" on Sunday. This came following government officers injured a female, and the governor of Illinois accused the federal government of worsening the situation rather than fixing it.

Noem's Comments on Fox News

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday morning, Noem targeted the city’s mayor, Brandon Johnson. Johnson has publicly opposed of the Trump administration’s immigration operations and sending of the national guard in Illinois, an action he labeled "unhinged and unhealthy".

"It’s wrong, penalties are necessary for that and for officials that speak out and knowingly lie about the actual conditions," Noem stated. "His city is a war zone and he is dishonest so that lawbreakers can enter and destroy people’s lives."

Federal 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 orders to protect federal officers and facilities. The move happened just weeks after military personnel were sent to Washington, where the president federalized the city’s police force in what he described as a "crackdown" on crime, a strategy now reaching a string of other US cities. "We will address Chicago probably next," Trump had said previously.

Noem's Justification of Government Actions

Noem defended the government's strategy, insisting on television that residents backed the government intervention. "They understand that in areas we've entered we have increased freedom," she said. "People are much safer, we have removed numerous offenders that are no longer roaming of Chicago, simply because we’ve been there."

State Leader JB Pritzker Responds

Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, the Democratic Illinois governor, Governor Pritzker, accused the administration of escalating the crisis rather than resolving it. "They are the ones who are making it a war zone," he said.

"They need to get out of Chicago. If they’re not going to focus on the worst of the worst, which is what the president said they are going to do, they need to get the heck out."

Border Patrol Shooting Information

Federal officers on Saturday fired at and wounded a female while shooting at someone who attempted to hit them. The woman who was shot was a US citizen and was armed with a firearm, DHS spokesperson an official stated, noting that the woman was alleged in a federal agency alert last week of revealing agents' private information.

Pritzker's Condemnation on Social Media

The governor also denounced the action in a post on X on Saturday, writing: "The Trump Administration’s security agency presented a demand: mobilize your forces, or we will." Pritzker called the decision "completely unacceptable and against American values," and noted that it had been made "without our consent".