(TNND) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that the state is prepared if President Donald Trump decides to send National Guard troops to Philadelphia.
“Ever since the president made what I think is a wrong-headed decision to take the guard away from the governor and put them on the streets of Los Angeles, wehave been preparing for such a thing to happen here in Philadelphia,” Shapiro said in response to a press question on Tuesday at an vent at Murrell Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School in North Philadelphia. “We’ve received no word that it is imminent, by any stretch.”
Shapiro did not give any more details on how the state is preparing.
President Trump said during a press conference on Tuesday that he has an obligation to end violent crime in cities around the U.S., saying, “This isn’t a political thing. I have an obligation. When 20 people are killed over the last two and a half weeks and 75 are shot with bullets.”
Trump announced he will direct federal law enforcement to conduct a takeover of both Chicago and Baltimore to combat crime.
“Well, we’re going in. I didn’t say when. We’re going in.”
The push to send federal law enforcement into other Democratic-run cities stems from Trump’s crime reduction efforts in Washington, D.C., which included sending in the National Guard. On Tuesday, Trump praised Mayor Muriel Bowser for working with federal partners to stop crime in the city.
A federal judge ruled Tuesday morning that President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated federal law when they used troops in Los Angeles to protect federal agents during an aggressive immigration crackdown.
Shapiro said the ruling and Trump’s announcement of other cities have him preparing for Trump potentially deploying the National Guard.
“I’m the former chief law enforcement officer of this commonwealth, and I understand what communities need to do to make people safe,” Shapiro said. “As governor, we’ve invested millions of dollars in not only policing, but in community organizations that have helped bring down violent crime by 42%.”
According to the Philadelphia Police Department, overall crime is down by 5.61% in the city. The governor’s office said gun violence was down by 42% across the state since Shapiro became governor.
“Now is not a time to disrupt that with distrust, the way the president is doing in other communities,” Shapiro said. “Now is the time for us to continue making the progress we’re making here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I’m going to focus on that.”
State officials said that violent crime is also down by 12% in 2024.