On November 5, the American people sent a clear message by electing Donald Trump. They were sick and tired of the country being invaded by illegal immigrants and wanted them deported. That is exactly what the Trump administration began doing on day one. But, of course, not everyone is on board with the mass repatriation process. The mayors of self-declared sanctuary cities in blue states have stated that they will fight the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials against the deportations. In one city, however, even some on the City Council have had it with the mayor's continued support of illegal immigrants.
“It shouldn’t take an act of Congress or city council, for that matter, to say we’re not going to protect child sexual predators and human traffickers…” -@RaymondALopez
— Jen (@IlliniJen) February 3, 2025
Welcome to @ChicagosMayor’s #Chicago, where there are more measures in place to safeguard criminals over…
Welcome to @ChicagosMayor’s #Chicago, where there are more measures in place to safeguard criminals over law-abiding citizens.
At RedState, we have been chronicling the ongoing saga of leftist Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and his insistence that the city's law enforcement not cooperate in apprehending illegal immigrants with violent criminal records. Now, some of the city's moderate Democrat aldermen -- yes, there actually are some -- have had it with Johnson and other far-left City Council members who refuse to roll back any of the city's sanctuary policies.
Johnson has, in a sense, himself, made Chicago a prime target for immigration enforcement raids because of his no-budge policy on working with ICE. Trump Border Czar Tom Homan has said that ICE is first focusing on those with criminal records, and if local law enforcement does cooperate, then ICE does not have to go into communities to make detentions. But Johnson's steadfastness has city council members frustrated, to say the least.
Alderman Nicholas Sposato put it bluntly.
The liberals control everything. So if they want to remain a sanctuary city and protect criminals over law-abiding citizens in our community then I guess that’s the way it’s going to be.
In January, Sposato's fellow moderate Democrat alderman Raymond Lopez introduced an amendment to the city's Welcoming City Ordinance (WCO). The ordinance prohibits Chicago law enforcement from working with ICE agents. The amendment would permit law enforcement to work with ICE if an illegal immigrant is arrested or convicted of one or more of four categories: sexual crimes against a minor, gang-related activity, drug activity, and prostitution activity. The left-leaning City Council majority defeated the amendment 39-11. Perhaps fearing pushback, Johnson's office reverted to scare tactics and circulated a memo before the vote that said that the amendment would cause “increased over-policing in Black and Brown communities."
Migrant gang graffiti now in Brighton Park. But let’s protect them all, right @ChicagosMayor? pic.twitter.com/f5oWy6uVnu
— Ald. Raymond Lopez (@RaymondALopez) January 30, 2025
Lopez seemed to voice his frustration, saying:
It shouldn’t take an act of Congress or city council, for that matter, to say we’re not going to protect child sexual predators and human traffickers, but yet, that’s exactly what the City Council did when it rejected the amendment that would allow for our police officers to work with our federal partners when someone is arrested or convicted of four very specific violent and dangerous criminal crime categories. Chicago is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, and we continue to maintain that place with all of the pointless, endless political bluster coming out of the mouths of Brandon Johnson and his hyper liberal, socialist enablers.
He added:
My colleagues have said, "if ICE wants them, ICE can go get them in the neighborhoods themselves. We’re not going to help." Well, who does that really help?
Mayor Brandon Johnson was elected in April 2023, and it seems that Chicago's residents got buyer's remorse early on. Citizens have shown up at City Council meetings as early as March and April of 2024, furious with Johnson for spending millions on illegal immigrants, funds that could have gone to neighborhoods in need where actual Americans live. Lopez says that Chicago's immigrant community wants the criminals gone because they hurt them as well.
If the Trump administration makes good on its promise to arrest any city or state officials who impede deportations, Nicholas Sposato's and Raymond Lopez's more liberal opposition might just dwindle in numbers.
"The city of Chicago is out of the business of funding illegals."
— 👑💥 Serenity 💥👑 (@polishprincessh) December 4, 2024
Fed-up Chicago residents went scorched-earth on Mayor Brandon Johnson during a city council meeting after the city spent more than half a billion dollars sheltering illegal immigrants.pic.twitter.com/HHPBIyiVyA
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