KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reacting to the deployment of National Guard troops to U.S. cities.
Right now, more than 200 Texas troops are in Chicago and a federal order is blocking troops from being deployed to Portland, Oregon.
The troops are being deployed to fight crime and to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, according to the Trump administration.
Nessel is concerned it’ll go the opposite and lead to rising tensions.
“We’d love to explore other ways that the federal government can work to assist us in crime,” Nessel said. “It’s a noble goal. Bringing the military, it undermines that mission as opposed to providing much needed assistance.”
President Trump has sent troops to cities he believes need help to fight crime, but critics believe he’s targeting cities based on political leaning.
“They probably had 50 murders in Chicago over the last 5,6,7 months,” Trump said. “Many people were shot and then the governor gets up and is like ‘we can handle it. They can’t handle it, they don’t know what they’re doing.'”
President Trump has suggested sending troops to other cities like Memphis.
During a rally in Howell, Mich. in September, Vice President JD Vance brought up the idea of sending troops to Detroit.
“Gretchen (Whitmer), we are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan, all you got to do is ask,” Vance said.
Nessel tells News Channel 3 she’s worried about a potential impact these deployments could have.
“My concern is that eventually, if this doesn’t stop, we’re going to see this in all 50 states,” Nessel said. “That is no way to run a democracy, that’s what you see in dictatorships, that’s what you see in authoritarian regimes.”
Federal judges are expected to hear arguments Thursday in separate cases involving troops in Portland and Chicago.