Denver Mayor Mike Johnston escalated the Democrat rhetoric around illegal immigration recently, declaring that he will use local law enforcement to create a “Tiananmen Square moment” if incoming President Donald Trump tries to deport illegal immigrants. The radical threat was made during an interview on Friday that had flown under the radar until now.
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Left of woke Mayor @MikeJohnstonCO saying that Denver residents and Denver Police will relive “the Tiananmen Square moment” and resist mass deportation. Mike Johnston is a delusional nutjob.https://t.co/OsBs25Rdz1 pic.twitter.com/GnvO6RIg2r
— Pathofmostresistance (@Pathofmostresi1) November 21, 2024
“And that seems to me like a very, very bad idea from start to finish that no reasonable American would support,” he said.
The mayor also takes heart that the people of Denver — not just the administration — would likely resist a mass deportation effort from federal forces.
“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.”
Well, that’s patently insane. You have the mayor of one of America’s largest cities suggesting he’ll help organize an insurrection to stop the Trump administration from enforcing laws it is statutorily obligated to enforce. For the last four years, we have all been assured by Democrats that immigration is the sole authority of the federal government and that any interference is unacceptable. Yet, the moment they lose an election, they think they get to have their sanctuary cities again.
Yeah, that’s not how it works. If Johnston does anything to stand in the way of federal officials enforcing immigration law, including using local law enforcement to obstruct, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. It is illegal to harbor illegal aliens under federal law, and the Department of Justice will have every right to take action.
I’m also less than convinced that Denver PD officers will be down for battling it out with ICE officials to protect illegal immigrants. I’d assume most would ignore any order from Johnston to set up checkpoints to try to detain or turn away federal officials. Johnston may be writing checks with his mouth that he can’t cash. There is no legal mechanism for local officials to interfere with federal law enforcement.
Regardless, these sanctuary policies are extremely damaging to society. People are being victimized up to and including murder because Democrats have created a catastrophe at the border, and Denver has not been immune to the consequences of that. Losing an election does not mean the rules suddenly change. The Trump administration is going to take action against illegal immigration, starting with criminals and those with standing deportation orders. If Johnston wants to pick a fight over that, I don’t think it will end well for him.
