Washington [Olympia], September 1: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson rejected a potential deployment of the National Guard to the city by the US federal government, as he signed an executive order on Saturday to counter a looming immigration crackdown.
Referring to the deployment of the force to Washington by US President Donald Trump earlier in the month, Johnson said, "We do not want to see tanks in our streets." There could be increased checks on residency permits on Trump's orders, the mayor warned.
"We have received credible reports that we have days, not weeks, before our city sees some type of militarized activity by the federal government. It is unclear at this time what that will look like exactly," Johnson said.
"We may see militarized immigration enforcement. We may also see National Guard troops. We may even see active duty military and armed vehicles in our streets. We have not called for this. Our people have not asked for this, but nevertheless, we find ourselves having to respond to this."
The mayor said that, in light of this possibility, he signed an executive order instructing all city government departments to protect residents from federal government action.
Accordingly, the local police are not to "collaborate with military personnel on police patrols or civil immigration enforcement," Johnson said.
Johnson, a Democrat, said that the "erratic, impulsive" nature of the Trump administration makes it difficult to predict whether it would go ahead with the deployment, and he urged the Republican president to "change his mind."
Trump earlier in August activated the National Guard in order to curb the allegedly out-of-control crime in Washington, which is also governed by a Democratic mayor. The police statistics do not provide any evidence of an increase in crime in the US capital.
The president has indicated that Chicago could be the next city where he believes order needs to be established. In his view, crime there is out of control.
Johnson says that homicides, robberies and shootings have dropped significantly over the past year.
Source: Qatar Tribune
