Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson broke his silence on former President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to escalate deportation operations in the city. However, his response offered little more than a barrage of progressive rhetoric, leaving questions unanswered.
The Democratic mayor, known for his progressive stance, appeared on CNN’s “First of All” podcast with host Victor Blackwell. Despite repeated questions about whether he would resist Trump’s deportation efforts, Johnson sidestepped direct answers and instead leaned heavily into anti-Trump commentary.
The discussion began with Blackwell asking, “Let’s start here your reaction to Homan saying he’s going to come after you if you stand in his way.”
“Well, you know, unfortunately — first of all, good morning and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to the people of the globe,” Johnson began, shifting quickly to a broader point. “Look the president elect and the former president of the United States of America, Trump, has demonstrated an incredible disdain for people, and my responsibility as Mayor of the City of Chicago is to invest in people, to protect people, and connect them to the resources that are ultimately needed in order to build not just a better, stronger, safer Chicago, but to build in the economy that’s sustainable,” he stated, avoiding the heart of the question.
Continuing his critique, Johnson said, “You know, this President has shown disdain towards not just immigrants, but lovers of public education. He is dead set on abolishing the entire education department. As a former public school teacher, as a product of public education, as someone who sends my children to public schools; working people around this country want public education to work.”
He went on to accuse Trump of opposing public housing initiatives. “He has shown an incredible animus towards public housing. Public Housing has been the way in which families have found true stability, their ability to experience a human right. He has demonstrated contempt towards vouchers, which would ultimately make it hard for families to access affordable homes. We built 3600 affordable homes in the city of Chicago since I’ve been in office,” Johnson added, highlighting his administration’s accomplishments.
Johnson further criticized Trump’s environmental policies. “He’s also shown a great deal of evilness towards the Department of the Environment. He doesn’t believe in science. Twenty percent of the world’s fresh water is right here in the city of Chicago. We can build a green, blue economy to create real, sustainable opportunities for people. And so he has not just shown animus towards immigrants. He has shown a great deal of animus towards working people across the city of Chicago, and it is my responsibility, and is my joy, to protect all residents of this beloved city,” Johnson said, continuing to avoid directly addressing the question posed to him.
Blackwell then aired a clip of Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, discussing plans to involve Democrat-led police departments in assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by informing them of the whereabouts of illegal immigrants involved in serious crimes.
“I don’t want them to be immigration officers,” Homan stated in the clip. “I want them, when they arrest an illegal alien for a serious crime, I’m just asking them to tell us where to find them. I don’t want you to hold a minute more. You have to hold them under your charges. But just work with us and take these public safety threats, not only off the streets but on the country.”
Blackwell pressed Johnson again, asking pointedly, “So let me, let me ask you specifically, if you have someone in CPD who takes custody of someone who fits that scenario, that profile, accused of a violent crime in the country illegally, does local law allow you to inform ICE? And will you do that?”
Instead of a straightforward response, Johnson pivoted to a historical defense of Chicago’s sanctuary city status. “Here’s what the local law does. First of all, you know, as a sanctuary city. You know, this ordinance was birthed by the first black mayor in the history of Chicago, Mayor Harry Washington. He understood during the Reagan administration, as foreign policies disrupted Central and South America, he made it very clear that the city of Chicago will serve as refuge for people around the globe. And so there’s a strong black liberation presentation that comes out of the city of Chicago as it relates to being a sanctuary city,” he said.
Johnson criticized Trump’s administration further, saying, “Look, the law is very clear. Local police officers are not federal agents. That is clear. This so-called border czar seems to be getting educated more and more throughout you know, you know his, I guess, his speaking tour. It’s unfortunate, though, that there is an abominable ignorance that exists within the Trump administration that continues to displace and cause chaos.”
Throughout the interview, Blackwell repeatedly tried to clarify whether Johnson intended to instruct Chicago police to inform ICE of the presence of illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes. Johnson consistently deflected, reiterating that “the police are not immigration agents” despite no one, including Homan, suggesting otherwise.
At one point, Johnson made a controversial theological claim about the nativity story. “There are people all across this country who are going to celebrate this holiday season about the birth of Jesus Christ who fleed [sic] political and religious oppression as a refugee, as an asylum seeker,” he said.
This assertion is historically inaccurate. Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, were not refugees or asylum seekers. They traveled to Bethlehem to comply with a Roman census, not to escape persecution.
Despite a stream of liberal commentary and factual inaccuracies, Johnson never directly addressed whether he would cooperate with ICE or block its operations in Chicago. His refusal to provide a clear stance left Blackwell’s audience with little clarity on how he intends to handle Trump’s proposed deportation efforts.
{Matzav.com}