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“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to be amended or repealed.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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