Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) stated on Fox News Sunday that local Democrats should support [1] President Donald Trump’s efforts to deport illegal aliens with criminal backgrounds, breaking from the stance of some sanctuary city officials who have vowed to resist federal immigration enforcement.
During the interview with host Shannon Bream, Fetterman addressed the growing opposition from Democratic leaders in cities such as Chicago, Denver, and Tucson, who have openly rejected assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in deporting illegal aliens.
When asked whether local officials have a duty to cooperate with the federal government, Fetterman made his stance clear.
“I hope every local official would agree that anyone here — that any of the migrants that are here with criminal backgrounds are engaging in criminal behavior. I think they should support that. Now if ICE comes to round them up I hope they would provide that kind of support,” Fetterman said.
Trump, within his first week back in office, took immediate steps to address illegal immigration by signing executive orders declaring a national emergency at the southern border and designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
🚨 #BREAKING [2]: President Trump has just signed an executive order designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
They can now be targeted with LETHAL FORCE by the U.S. military.
This is HUGE. pic.twitter.com/WAf7HhKVAY [3]
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 21, 2025 [4]
His administration also reversed policies from the Biden era, allowing ICE agents to aggressively target and deport criminal aliens, including individuals convicted of violent crimes such as rape and murder.
Fetterman, while expressing support for deporting illegal aliens with criminal records, also noted that he does not support indiscriminate raids on non-criminal illegal aliens.
“I certainly would never support terrorizing otherwise innocent migrants in those kinds of situations or kicking in a door at a school,” Fetterman said.
“But I think we can all agree that every migrant here with a criminal background or engaging in criminal behavior all needs to go.”
Despite Fetterman’s position, several Democratic mayors have continued to resist cooperation with federal authorities.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston have been vocal about their opposition to Trump’s deportation initiatives.
