Chicago mayor rips ICE operations, says Trump ‘is attempting to get us to surrender our humanity’
Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson accused President Donald Trump of “attempting to get us to surrender our humanity” as he ripped the White House Tuesday for the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement operations that are unfolding in his city.
More than 100 people in the region have been detained since ICE and federal authorities began their raids on Sunday, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said.
“What this administration is attempting to do, he is attempting to get us to surrender our humanity. We’re not going to do that in Chicago,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday.
“You know, look, every administration, by the way, has deported individuals from our country, every administration,” the Democrat added, but he claimed “there’s a real goal here to stoke fear into the American people.”
Johnson did not answer when he was asked about an invitation from House Republicans calling on him to testify next month about sanctuary city policies and their impact on public safety. Instead, he deflected to the city’s top lawyer, who said they are reviewing the invitation.
“I’m standing with the full force of government today to demonstrate that Chicago is a welcoming city. Regardless of who is in the White House, Chicago is a city that opens its arms to people from around the globe,” Johnson said at the beginning of his remarks. “We will continue to protect civil and human rights, and we welcome all individuals and families who want to work, live and thrive here in our beloved city. The Welcoming City ordinance is a law, and it is the law of the land here in Chicago.”
“There’s a federal law that clearly states if you are undocumented and you are convicted of a crime, you are subject to deportation. That’s the law. I fully expect the federal government to uphold that law,” he also said. “Being a welcoming city just simply states that our local police department will not behave as federal agents. There’s a clear separation of powers there.”
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Chicago has welcomed nearly 52,000 migrants since August 2022, according to city data. The cumulative total the city has spent on the “New Arrivals Mission” through December 2024 totaled $629.9 million.
At one point, Johnson took a swipe at the White House, saying “I think what’s clear from this administration is that they do not have the full pulse or the breadth of what people in America are calling for.”
“How are we going to put food on their table? No answer from this administration. How are we going to ensure that our communities have affordable homes? It’s no answer from this administration. How are we going to lower the prices of groceries? No answer from this administration,” he said.
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In the end, Johnson said there is a “real anxiety in the air” in Chicago and “just like we dealt with the crisis at the border when the Republican Party attacked our city, sending buses [of migrants there] without notice, we got through that. We’re going to get through this moment, and we’re going to get through it together.”
Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.