Denver’s mayor has pledged to protect migrants in his sanctuary city from large-scale deportations, vowing to deploy local police and rally tens of thousands of residents to defend the city. He likened the potential standoff to a “Tiananmen Square moment.”
Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston recently explained his stance to Denverite, responding to President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to implement widespread deportations of undocumented immigrants across the nation. “More than us having [federal agents] stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston said.

On Friday night’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, a heated debate unfolded as host Bill Maher pushed back against former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile’s assertion that ultra-progressive or “woke” policies were not a significant factor in the Democrats’ recent electoral losses. The discussion, part of the ongoing analysis of the 2024 election—won by Donald Trump—centered on what issues resonated most with voters. Brazile attributed Democratic setbacks primarily to concerns over inflation and immigration, dismissing the idea that progressive “woke” policies played a major role. Maher, however, strongly disagreed. “The big issue, right, was immigration,” said panelist Andrew Sullivan.