Twenty additional agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have been deployed to Chicago, where the city saw its highest murder rate of the past 20 years in 2016.
The move comes a week and a half after President Trump warned he would take federal action if the city did not combat violence that was continuing its upward trajectory in 2017. It’s unknown whether the move was in response to or directed by Trump.
“If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible ‘carnage’ going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!” Trump tweeted on Jan. 24.
The ATF agents were sent in to “beef up” federal presence in the Windy City, bringing the total number to 60 agents. The new agents will form a “Chicago Crime Guns Strike Force” to attack gun violence around the city, according to a CNN report.
Chicago Police documented 762 shooting deaths last year, making it the highest rate in 20 years.
