00:00Well, good morning. Buenos dias. I'm Congresswoman Delia Catalina Ramirez, and I'm the proud representative of Illinois' third congressional district that represents the northwestern part of the city of Chicago and the northwestern part of suburbs.
00:15We stand here today, on this Wednesday, together, united. We understand that whether it's L.A., D.C., Chicago, or Baltimore, Trump's deployment of thousands of armed federal agents and military personnel into the nation's capital and other cities is the action of a wannabe dictator.
00:41For him, Donald Trump, abusing the power of the National Guard is not about protecting public safety. It's about control. It's about threatening diverse, successful, Democratic-led cities like Chicago that refuse to bow down to authoritarianism.
01:01When Trump talks about restoring order with National Guard troops, I want to make sure that we understand what it is.
01:09It's a violent suppression of dissent. It's an expensive, unlawful political stunt. It's a distraction from the failed policies.
01:20It's an attempt to instill fear in those who were there to protest. And it's a lie. A lie to justify violating our rights and disappearing our immigrant neighbors.
01:33Why would he be using distraction? You see, we have less than 30 days to pass a spending budget. And yet, here we are. The president is attempting to send the National Guard to send and terrorize cities instead of actually funding the government.
01:56See, we don't need Trump's troops on our streets. What we need, and what our constituents continue to say, is that we need an investment in our neighborhoods.
02:07We need an investment in food, in our tables, health care for our families, and safety that is rooted in justice and opportunity.
02:15In fact, thanks to those investments, Chicago's violent crimes have fallen 22% a day. Homicides are down more than 33% in the past year, while shootings are down by 38%.
02:30Let me go ahead and say this about Chicago once again, because apparently the president doesn't believe in facts.
02:37Crimes have fallen 22% a day, and shootings are down by 38%.
02:43Trump's plan to deploy the National Guard to Chicago is just the beginning.
02:49Today, Trump is eroding our constitutional boundaries and normalizing the abuse of our military powers so that he can succeed when he failed his first term.
02:58He seeks to use military power to undermine our democratic institutions, perpetrate a coup, and hold our country hostage.
03:08So let's be very clear, Mr. President.
03:11We don't want or need kings, dictators.
03:15We don't need the National Guard in Chicago or Baltimore or New York City.
03:19We will not be silenced, and we will not bend the knee.
03:23We stand here united as members of Congress because we understand that our fight is not just about one city.
03:31When armed troops are sent into American communities to suppress protests, to target civil society leaders, or to facilitate the disappearance of our neighbors, it is not just a local issue.
03:45It strikes at the core of our very own democracy, and we cannot let this continue.
03:52We have to continue to resist, and this moment demands courage.
03:57It demands us to understand that we must obstruct and do everything we can to oppose any of these authoritarian actions against our cities when it's threatening our people, our freedoms, and our democracy.
04:13It is why we must fight back.
04:15It is why we're here this morning, because we know it will require legislative action, legal action, and the local organizing that is happening on the ground that we are supporting and we will continue to do.
04:27And with that, I want to introduce to you a Congresswoman who has been holding the line here in Washington, D.C. for many years and will continue to be a champion for justice.
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