Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has pledged to protect illegal aliens in the sanctuary city from deportation efforts under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
Johnston vowed to resist mass deportations by employing local resources and rallying community support, calling it a “Tiananmen Square moment.”
🚨 CIVIL WAR BREWING: Denver Mayor threatens ARMED resistance against Trump’s deportations!
Mike Johnston vows to mobilize 50K Residents & Police in DIRECT confrontation with federal agents – calls it a “Tiananmen Square moment”
Should he be arrested for inciting an… pic.twitter.com/eZIrtOXqPs
— Publius (@OcrazioCornPop) November 23, 2024
Trump's Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?
“More than us having [federal agents] stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston said in an interview with Denverite.
This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year
He likened the situation to the iconic standoff during the 1989 protests in China’s Tiananmen Square, where a lone protester famously faced off against a tank.
“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 added, referring to community members ready to oppose federal intervention.
Since December 2022, Denver has seen the arrival of approximately 40,000 illegal aliens, the highest per capita influx in the nation.
MORE NEWS: Human Remains Trafficking: Ex-Harvard Morgue Head Pleads Guilty to Selling Stolen Body Parts
The surge has strained local resources and brought challenges, including a rise in crime linked to the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua.
The gang has reportedly taken control of apartment complexes and engaged in violent activities in Denver and the neighboring city of Aurora.
Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky (R) criticized Johnston’s approach, saying it underscores a lack of productivity in sanctuary cities. “If Mayor Johnston wants to stand at the Denver border with, I believe he said, Highland moms, or something to that effect, it will just further show how unproductive he is,” Jurinsky told The Post.
I also want to be clear on Trump’s “Operation Aurora:”
Welcome to Aurora @realDonaldTrump!@RepJasonCrow you don’t stand with anyone or for anything. I have watched this human suffering with my own eyes and yet I’ve not heard from you once. I had a Guatemalan man through his… https://t.co/84F70VabN9
— Danielle Jurinsky (@DaniJurinsky) November 18, 2024
While Aurora has no plans to actively assist federal deportation efforts, she emphasized that the city would not obstruct the Trump administration’s policies.
Johnston reaffirmed Denver’s commitment to its sanctuary city status, emphasizing that it is a core value. “The short answer is, we won’t change that, because those are one of our core values. And we’re not going to sell out those values to anyone. We’re not going to be bullied into changing them,” he said.
MORE NEWS: Sad News: Billy Joel’s Health Crisis Forces Full Cancellation of U.S. Concert Tour [WATCH]
Local law enforcement, Johnston added, will not assist federal agencies in making arrests of illegal migrants. “Absolutely not,” he stated.
The mayor’s remarks have drawn criticism from multiple quarters. Xi Van Fleet, a survivor of Mao Zedong’s revolution in China, condemned Johnston’s comparison to Tiananmen Square, calling it “profoundly ignorant” or a deliberate false analogy.
Elon Musk, recently appointed by Trump to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, also weighed in, stating on his platform X, “The mayor of Denver hates his constituents.”
The mayor of Denver hates his constituents
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2024
The Trump administration has signaled its intent to take strong measures against sanctuary cities.
Tom Homan, Trump’s pick for “border czar,” told The Post that the administration plans to pursue lawsuits and withhold federal funding from cities like Denver.
If such actions fail, he said, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will be deployed in large numbers to wait outside local jails for illegal migrants upon their release.
MORE NEWS: Donald Trump Confirms Major Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap ‘Could Lead to Something Big’ [WATCH]
“We’re not going to back down,” Homan said. “This administration will enforce the laws that the American people voted for.”
Johnston has since walked back his comments.
Can someone explain to @denversmayor what illegal means? Democrats can mislabel terms all they want, but you’re either in this country legally or illegally. If you want to be here, there’s a proper way to go about it. Those who took the shortcut need to leave.
As for Johnston,… https://t.co/tQWI8Os0O6
— Ava Flanell (@AvaFlanell_) November 23, 2024
Connect with Vetted Off-Duty Cops to Instantly Fulfill Your Security Needs
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.
I hope he doesn’t walk this back. (most lefties do when confronted with the truth) We can use his ‘type’ to illustrate a point, a teaching moment, if you will. Life without parole will be appropriate if he follows through.. #LWOP
WONDERFUL ! If the people of Denver want them, let them stay in Denver. Soon Denver will be a hide-out for the illegals and will be overrun with them. Leave them alone! let’s see what happens there….. There is NO reason we should go in there to get them out…. there are plenty of cities that WANT them gone. Go there, first! Let this Denver just start stewing in their own making……
every city ought to send their illegals to Denver ASAP
I see no other explanation for him other than he’s MENTALLY ILL
Sorry for the people of Denver who voted this A-Hi in and those who didn’t All are going to have to live with the consequences. Unless they act responsibly.
But Amerikan “DeMockery” is the greatest in the world. Ya’ll keep doing you. 😉
We over here in the BRICS+ Multipolar world are laughing about the buffoonery from libtard US politicians. Let the clown show begin. 😉
Americans need to look at these “uninvited guests” as an asset. If we utilize all single men, ages 18-40, illegally in the country as “impressed workers” we will have an unlimited labor force. We can use these impressed workers to build a railroad that will connect Dawson Creek, B.C. to Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Contractually, the U.S. made an agreement in 1941 that will allow the U.S. to build a railroad on either side of the existing ALCAN, provided that it is within “250 meters” of the highway. Why hasn’t this been already done? Cost! Railroad workers will require payments of $40 per hour to work in these sub-Arctic locales. However, if they are viewed a “prisoners of war,” such treatment can be justified. And it won’t be like a death sentence! The workers will be provided with room and board. Not to mention the best Ine best in sub polar work attire. After serving three years on the railroad, they will be subsequently deported to their country of origin.