New York, Aug 29 (IANS) – The White House has pointed to New Delhi’s relatively low crime rate while contrasting it with Chicago’s high homicide levels, as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to tighten federal control over law and order in US cities.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt noted that Chicago’s murder rate in 2024—25.5 per 100,000 residents—was about 15 times higher than Delhi’s, which stood at 1.48. A comparative chart released earlier by the administration placed Washington, D.C. at the top globally with 27.64 murders per 100,000 residents, while Delhi ranked ninth among 11 capitals surveyed.
President Trump has already deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement in Washington, citing spiraling violent crime, and has indicated Chicago will be next. “Chicago is a mess,” he said last week, adding that residents were “screaming for help.” New York could also face federal intervention, he suggested.
The move has sparked political and legal resistance. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to challenge any federal deployment, calling it unconstitutional. Unlike Washington, a federal territory where Trump had authority to act despite Mayor Muriel Bowser’s opposition, US states enjoy autonomy, and federal intervention is expected to face court battles.
Despite opposition, officials in Washington have acknowledged a drop in violent crime since the Guard’s deployment on August 11. Bowser admitted carjackings, robberies, and homicides had fallen, with no killings reported since then, compared to 100 homicides recorded between January and early August.
Trump has also called for harsher measures, including applying the federal death penalty, prosecuting juveniles as adults, and rolling back “cashless bail” policies in Democratic-run cities. He argues that nearly all of America’s 25 most crime-ridden cities are governed by Democrats.
Crime remains a politically charged issue. While Democrats insist rates are falling, Trump is leveraging public fears, particularly in urban areas where African Americans and Latinos make up the overwhelming majority of crime victims.
Last year, Chicago (population 2.75 million) recorded 573 murders and over 2,000 sex crimes. Washington, with just 702,000 residents, saw 187 homicides and 143 sexual assaults. By comparison, Delhi—home to 34 million people—reported 504 murders and 2,076 crimes against women, according to police data.
