actually show.

Tonight.

The latest in our focus on police and policing in Chicago.

>> This month's edition of our ongoing project comes at a critical time as the president of the United States calls out crime in Chicago, despite data showing it's dropping.

Governor JB Pritzker sounded the alarm today about President Donald Trump's threats to deploy federal troops to Chicago.

Trump did hedge on the timing today but is adamant the city needs federal action.

Brits Pritzker along with Mayor Brandon Johnson and a plethora of local leaders gathered to dismiss Trump's latest pledge to combat crime as a cover for an unconstitutional federal overreach.

>> This is not about fighting crime.

This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city in a blue state to try and intimidate his political rivals.

We believe that you don't solve crime by sending in the military.

We are being targeted because of who we are as a city.

More than anything goes.

>> Our Heather Sharon was at that afternoon news conference and she joins us now from downtown Heather.

So Governor JB Pritzker, we know had some very strong words for the president.

What did he tell him?

>> Well, he said it clearly and unambiguously to the President.

Chicago, neither wants nor requires the assistance of the National Guard in fighting crime.

And in fact, Governor JB Pritzker in the south, the strongest possible language sounded an alarm about American democracy.

As we heard saying that this was nothing but an attempt by the president to punish his political foes.

And of course, he has targeted Chicago repeatedly dating all the way back to 2016 and has shown no sign of letting up.

>> We're a strong show of force behind the governor and the mayor there, Heather.

Every Democrat elected lots clergy as well Pritzker.

He told reporters that Illinois officials are determined to do everything possible to stop the deployment of soldiers.

But what can he do to actually stop that deployment?

If the president should give the order?

>> So there's not really anything the governor can do.

He told reporters that the president has the authority under federal law to federalize the National Guard and send it to Chicago.

However, at the same time he raised the specter of legal actions saying that Illinois would do everything possible to keep its citizens safe from essentially a military occupation.

However, Attorney General Kwame Raoul acknowledge that there's not really a plan to file a preemptive lawsuit because it's not clear what specific law the president will invoke or exactly how the state can combat that in court.

>> And Heather, if the president does deployed the National Guard, water, state and local officials, how are they?

How would they respond and what they tell residents to do?

>> Well, I asked Mayor Johnson exactly that question telling him that I'd heard from Chicagoans who are really worried that the president of the National Guard in Chicago could disrupt their lives, their ability to go to school, to take the CTA, to go to work and he didn't have any specific staff are saying only that.

The city and the state had joined forces to put their arms around all residents of Chicago.

But the governor, the he painted a bleak picture.

If this deployment happens, saying that this will be a difficult time and if necessary, he called on people to protest peacefully while at the same time warning governors of other states not to allow their national guards to be deployed to Illinois and saying that he would be taking names if anyone violated the rights of who he called his people.

>> Okay.

Had downtown Chicago for us.

Thank you.

Thank you.