Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is pledging to take unprecedented measures to counter potential mass deportations of illegal immigrants by federal authorities under incoming President Donald Trump. The Colorado Democrat has stated he is prepared to join thousands of his constituents in physically blocking such deportations and even face arrest, foreseeing for what he described as a “Tiananmen Square moment.”
The mayor’s remarks come as Denver remains a sanctuary city, a designation that limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Johnston has not ruled out deploying the Denver Police Department to reinforce city efforts to protect undocumented residents, a move guaranteed to escalate tensions with federal authorities.
Sexual Assault Case Draws National Attention
The debate over Denver’s sanctuary policies intensified the day after Johnston’s comments, when Jesus Alberto Pereira Castillo, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. illegally last year, was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Authorities allege that Castillo, who reportedly crossed the border near El Paso, Texas, had been staying in his employer’s suburban Denver home when he attacked the employer’s teenage daughter.
Federal Response and Political Backlash
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, warned that Johnston’s actions could result in legal and political consequences.
“The mayor of Denver, if he’s going to resist federal law—there’s a longstanding history of the supremacy of federal law—if he’s going to resist that, it will go all the way to the Supreme Court. And I would suspect that he would be removed from office,” Paul said during a Sunday interview.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says that the mayor of Denver will be removed from office if he resists federal law enforcement officials who are deporting illegal aliens: "It's a form of insurrection" pic.twitter.com/P9e4fVxVxu
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) November 24, 2024
The senator’s comments reflect the growing divide between local officials in sanctuary cities and federal lawmakers pushing for stricter immigration enforcement. Johnston’s vow to defy federal deportation efforts is likely to further heighten this tension, setting the stage for a potential legal showdown.
Denver’s Position on Immigration
As a sanctuary city, Denver has long championed policies aimed at protecting illegal immigrants from deportation. Johnston’s latest remarks reinforce his administration’s commitment to this approach, while also highlighting the challenges these far-left policies present in balancing public safety and providing government services to U.S. citizens.
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Hey mikey, how many of them have YOU taken home with you? If you are unwilling to take even one of them in you have absolutely no reason to force the rest of us to accept your ‘vision/’.
How about if we build a wall around Denver and we can ship all illegals caught in the U.S. to their sanctuary!!
This should have been done when the first city declared sanctuary status.
There is no doubt that the Trump Administration is going make a stark example of this rouge Mike Johnson. If there is resistance to have the mayor arrested, do what the FBI does, show up before dawn at his door with an arrest warrant in defiance of Federal Law, for aiding and abetting foreign invaders. Put him in jail and any others who subscribe to resisting, round them up, and put them in a Maracopa like “tent city.” Then you take all the invaders and march them in front of all those in the tent city. This behavior is akin to what Eliot Ness did to Al Capone, when the “Untouchables” confiscated Al Capone’s vehicles and paraded them down the street where Capone lived.
We now know where to send illegals with no criminal background and while they retain their Sanctuary status we should reject any claims for help with their immigration issues
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS DICWAD IN AN ORANGE JUMPSUIT!!!
We must stop people like Mayor Johnston of Denver from interfering with the legal deportation of illegals. He is not above federal law.