Staff Reports
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently took to the airwaves on CNN’s “First of All” podcast to discuss Donald Trump’s plans for increased deportation actions in the Windy City. Instead of tackling the question head-on, Johnson delivered a word salad of leftist rhetoric that would make any self-respecting liberal proud, but left the rest of us scratching our heads and wondering what he was really trying to say.
As expected, the progressive mayor kicked things off with his standard decorum, wishing everyone a merry whatever while fully dodging the tough questions from host Victor Blackwell. When pressed about his stance on Trump’s deportation plans and whether he would obstruct federal efforts, Johnson masterfully sidestepped the inquiry with a barrage of anti-Trump diatribes that would fit snugly into any Democratic Party handbook on how to avoid accountability.
🚨 REPORT: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vows to fight "dangerous" deportation plan from the Trump administration.
Johnson says it threatens Chicago's "economy" to deport criminal aliens.
Border Czar Tom Homan isn't having it.
HOMAN: "Why wouldn't he want help? […] If you… pic.twitter.com/cH0ToDhIg2
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 16, 2024
The mayor’s first tactic was to paint Trump as a villain, claiming that Trump has a “demonstrated disdain” for society’s most vulnerable. Shockingly, he failed to mention that many Americans would find it far more disconcerting when illegal immigrants are running amok instead of being dealt with accordingly by local law enforcement. Johnson touted Chicago’s commitment to “investing in people” and “building a stronger, safer Chicago,” while completely ignoring the fact that having a few less criminals on the streets would probably help with that ambition.
Johnson did not stop at vague abstractions; he went on to assail the former president for his supposed vendetta against public education. The mayor claimed that Trump’s agenda posed a significant threat to public schooling, and, lo and behold, he was right back at it, fluffing himself as a former public educator while pleading for more public funding. Quite the coincidence that a sitting mayor would invoke education in a discussion about immigration enforcement, isn’t it?
Of course, the sovereignty of law and order couldn’t remain unscathed either. Johnson got into the weeds about how public housing represents “human rights”—a fascinating perspective for anyone who’s tried to navigate Chicago’s infamous subsidized housing system. And let’s not forget his proud proclamation about the construction of affordable homes, which sounds great until one realizes it does little to address the question of how to handle undocumented criminal offenders sitting in local jails.
When prompted to clarify the city’s police policy regarding cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Johnson draped the city’s celebrated status as a sanctuary over his lack of a direct response. He argued that Chicago’s long-standing sanctuary city ordinance serves as a proud legacy of the city’s leadership, falling back on outdated claims that could easily be categorized as shibboleths for progressive messaging. The cherry on top was when he invoked a bizarre analogy about Jesus being a “refugee.” This is a misinterpretation straight out of the left’s playbook that adds a surreal twist to a political discussion that desperately needed some grounding in reality.
While Johnson peppered the conversation with an impressive display of misdirection and exaggeration, the one takeaway was glaringly clear—he still hasn’t answered any of Blackwell’s direct questions about enforcement. The refusal to commit to whether he would obstruct federal law enforcement in their efforts to apprehend criminals in the country illegally showcases a complete abdication of responsibility. Instead, the mayor turned what should be a serious conversation about global consequences into yet another example of leftist obfuscation and political grandstanding.
