Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) is ready to stand up for immigration in his sanctuary city regardless of what policies President-elect Donald Trump implements.
Johnston, a Democrat, harkened the memory of China’s Tiananmen Square protest and said residents would fight federal agents and Trump’s strong stance on illegal immigrants, per Fox News.
“The short answer is, we won’t change that, because those are one of our core values,” the mayor said in an interview with Denverite. “And we’re not going to sell out those values to anyone. We’re not going to be bullied into changing them.”
“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston said. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants. And you do not want to mess with them.”
Johnston’s words are in response to Trump’s pledge to place stringent immigration laws and deport migrants.
But Johnson is not alone in his sentiment, per Fox News.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said, “If you come for my people, you come through me.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, also a Democrat, concurred.
“Especially in the face of growing threats to the immigrant communities here in Los Angeles, I stand with the people of this city,” Bass said. “This moment demands urgency. Immigrant protections make our communities stronger and our city better.”
One of Trump’s campaign promises was to start deportations as soon as he’s back in the Oval Office. He added he would consider declaring a national emergency and using the military if need be.
Trump has named Tom Homan his “border czar.”
“If you don’t want to work with us, then get the hell out all the way. We’re going to do it,’ Homan said.
