(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump says crime in Chicago would go down virtually 100% if not for Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The president spoke with reporters outside the White House on Tuesday and said his administration has removed many criminals from the United States.
“We just had numbers from Chicago where Chicago crime has gone down pretty good. It could go down 100% virtually but we’re fighting with that governor who’s so incompetent,” Trump said.
Pritzker spoke at Illinois State University in Normal on Tuesday and was asked about potential changes to the SAFE-T Act that ended cash bail in Illinois.
“Well, I should start by saying the SAFE-T Act has been highly effective. In fact, as you’ve seen since the SAFE-T Act was passed, crime rates across the state of Illinois have gone down,” Pritzker said.
In November, Pritzker suggested he was open to amending the SAFE-T Act after a man with a long criminal history was charged with setting a Chicago Transit Authority train passenger on fire, leaving the victim hospitalized with critical injuries.
Illinois Republicans have repeatedly called for the SAFE-T Act to be amended or repealed.
The governor said Tuesday he is open to “tweaks” in the law and said he wants to alleviate the burden on police and sheriffs to put people with substance-use problems in jail.
“Instead, let’s separate the people who really committed serious crimes from people who just need some help, and that applies to mental health care as well,” Pritzker said.
The governor said proposals would have to be made in the General Assembly and thoroughly vetted.
“And then, of course, I’ll consider them as governor whether I would veto it or sign a bill that would make those changes,” Pritzker added.
Trump credited the enforcement of federal immigration law for what he called “record low” crime numbers across the U.S.
“We’re getting rid of a lot of people that are criminals that shouldn’t be in our country. They came in through [former President Joe] Biden’s open borders, and we’re getting them out of our country. That’s why our crime numbers are so good,” Trump said.
The president cited lower crime statistics in Memphis, New Orleans and Washington D.C., along with Chicago.
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