House Dems Condemn Trump's Militarization of Federal Agents and Demand 'No Troops on Our Streets'

Following US President Donald Trump's declaration that "we're going on" with a deployment of federal agents to Chicago, the nation's third-largest city and a frequent target of fearmongering by the president, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez led Democratic lawmakers in condemning the White House's threat to militarize federal troops in cities across the country.

Trump's persistent, baseless claims that large cities like Washington, DC; Chicago; and Los Angeles are facing violent crime waves are part of an attempt, suggested Ramirez (D-Ill.), to distract from the fact that his administration and Republicans in Congress are slashing funding that millions of people rely on.

"We have less than 30 days to pass a spending budget," said Ramirez, who represents parts of Chicago. "And yet here we are, the president is attempting to send the National Guard and terrorize cities instead of actually funding the government. See, we don't need Trump's troops on our streets. What we need and what our constituents continue to say is that we need an investment in our neighborhoods. We need an investment in food for our tables, healthcare for our families, and safety that is rooted in justice and opportunity."

Trump's comments about Chicago came Tuesday and followed plans to deploy 200 Homeland Security officials to the city and use a nearby naval base as a staging area, as part of his nationwide anti-immigration crackdown.

The White House has said it's overseen the arrests of more than 65,000 people by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since Trump took office in January, but the Cato Institute found in June that 65% of people rounded up by the agency had no criminal conviction, while 93% had no conviction for violence offenses.

Trump's threat against Chicago also came as a federal judge ruled that his use of federal troops in Los Angeles was illegal. The president deployed Marine and National Guard soldiers to the city more than two months ago, and about 300 members of the National Guard remain there to crack down on protests against ICE raids and "ensure that federal immigration law was enforced."

Last month, the president sent the National Guard to Washington, DC and federalized the police force of the nation's capital, claiming he planned to rid the city of "slums" and ordering the destruction of encampments inhabited by homeless people.

Since that deployment, law enforcement agents have subjected local residents to illegal searches and unfairly charged them with serious crime, threatening them with lengthy prison sentences.

On Wednesday, Ramirez noted that as with ICE raids that are targeting people without criminal records despite Trump's claims to the contrary, the president is threatening to send troops to cities including Chicago to crack down on crime waves that aren't happening.

Thanks to investments in communities across Chicago, said Ramirez, "violent crime rates have fallen 22% today. Homicides are down more than 33% in the past year, while shootings are down by 38%."

Trump's actions in Washington, DC and his threats against Chicago, added the congresswoman, "are not just about one city."

"When armed troops are sent into American communities to suppress protests, to target civil society leaders, or to facilitate the disappearance of our neighbors, it is not just a local issue," said Ramirez. "It strikes at the core of our very own democracy... This moment demands courage. It demands that we understand that we must obstruct and do everything we can to oppose any of these authoritarian against our cities."

Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) also spoke at the press conference, warning that Trump's threat against Chicago is a "dangerous sign that the president is signaling to turn American troops on American citizens on American soil."

Ramirez said legislative action, legal challenges, and organizing on the ground are needed to fight back against Trump's attacks on cities.

At the press conference, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said she was introducing two bills to give Washington, DC full control over the National Guard and its police department, and renewed her call for the passage of legislation that would grant statehood to the nation's capital.

"Our local police force should not be subject to federalization, an action that wouldn't be possible for any other police department in the country," said Norton. "Although DC's lack of statehood makes it more vulnerable to the president's abuses of power, he has frequently made it known that his authoritarian ambitions do not end with DC."