Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and President Trump have reached an agreement to accept federal assistance with ongoing violence that’s ripping her city apart.
On Tuesday, the mayor’s office said President Trump “reached out to Mayor Lightfoot this evening to confirm that he plans to send federal resources to Chicago to supplement ongoing federal investigations pertaining to violent crime.”
The Chicago Sun-Times reports “The conversation was brief and straightforward,” according to the statement.
Lightfoot vowed to file a federal lawsuit if Trump sent federal troops into her city to combat spiking gun violence that left hundreds of people wounded and dozens dead, including multiple children.
Lightfoot reportedly backed down and reached an agreement with Trump after local church and civic leaders told her to stop playing politics with children’s lives.
“Mayor Lightfoot maintains that all resources will be investigatory in nature and be coordinated through the U.S. Attorney’s office. The Mayor has made clear that if there is any deviation from what has been announced, we will pursue all available legal options to protect Chicagoans.”
She said she didn’t want a repeat of the chaos in Portland, Oregon, where Trump sent federal officers in unmarked vehicles to sweep protestors off the streets this month.
Trump will deploy hundreds of troops to Chicago and also to Albuquerque, New Mexico to quell the violence that erupted in those cities after the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis City Council voted to dismantle the police department. Crime has risen 40% in Minneapolis as a result.
