Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has expressed concern over the potential focus of federal attention on his state amid growing criticism of Democratic policies linked to rising crime rates.
This comes in the wake of the tragic death of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, who was killed in Charlotte, North Carolina, while using public transportation. The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., had a criminal history with 14 prior arrests before being charged with Zarutska's murder.
The incident has sparked national outrage, fueled by a disturbing video of the alleged interaction between Brown and Zarutska. Criticism has mounted against Democratic crime policies in predominantly blue cities like Charlotte. President Donald Trump has been vocal, asserting that "blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail."
Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed this sentiment, stating that Zarutskas "horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people."
As reported by Fox News, the Trump administration is advocating for federal intervention in cities led by Democrats. Troops have already been deployed to Washington, D.C., with plans to send the National Guard to Memphis and potentially Baltimore. However, Senator Tillis believes that there are "a lot of cities that we should be going to before Charlotte."
He emphasized, "I, for one, don't think that we should be the nation's police force, because, you know what happens? We're going to mask the failure of Democrat leaders that are making their cities less safe."
Tillis acknowledged that some cities in red states also face significant crime challenges, stating, "But we also have to be realistic and see that there are some cities and red states that are also in the top 20 list." He further explained his stance, saying, "All I'm saying is we've got an issue, and I'm down there working before it became a national thing, work that we need to do down there to fix basically the free ride of the subway there. But it doesn't rise to a level of national intervention. I think that'd be an overreach that I'm against, generally."
In contrast, Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina attributes the situation to "broken policies" promoted by former Governor Roy Cooper and current Governor Josh Stein. Budd criticized the "reimagining criminal justice nonsense" and advocated for local governments to function effectively without "leftist, cashless bail crimes on the streets turning a blind eye to homelessness and drugs." He argued, "If they will stop doing that, those crazy policies, then sure there's no need to send in the National Guard."
Budd further remarked, "I would say being negligent, like those local governments have been in that case, invites greater rule. And that's the feds, and they're doing it in Chicago, they're doing it in Washington, D.C. That's because it's been negligent locally. So policy matters, and policy matters at home, too."
Efforts to obtain a response from Governor Stein's office by Fox News Digital were unsuccessful at the time of reporting. The debate over federal intervention and local governance continues to unfold, highlighting the broader national discourse on crime and public safety.
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