Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson slammed the Trump administration over its threat to withhold federal funding to Democratic administrations that don't follow its guidelines regarding its immigration crackdown, calling the move "terrorism."
Speaking to reporters at City Hall, Johnson made the comment when asked if he would go to the White House like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did last week. Johnson rejected the possibility, saying that "outside of a 2016 Cubs World Series ring, I'm not kissing a ring."
"The president of the United States of America has an open invitation to the fifth floor of the greatest freaking city in the world, the city of Chicago. He can come talk to me."
Johnson went on to address the threats made by the Trump administration, saying that "trying to force your will to break the spirit of working people in order to have a conversation, that's terrorism." "We're not going to negotiate with terrorists," Johnson added.
Asked if that meant he was calling Trump a terrorist, Johnson said no, but "what I'm saying is trying to hold people hostage and manipulating them to succumb to his will and then hold up our tax dollars, that is how terrorists behave."
Johnson has shown defiance to criticism from Trump and Republicans, appearing along other Democratic mayors in a March hearing in which they were grilled over their cities' sanctuary policies.
There, Johnson rejected claims from Republican lawmakers that they serve to protect criminals. Joined by the mayors of New York City, Denver and Boston, Johnson stood firmly with his city's immigrant protection laws, claiming that Chicago does not "harbor criminals."
Johnson mentioned falling crime ratesin his city, which has been a frequent target for Republicans who have portrayed it as violent and dangerous. He spoke to the city's long history as one that is home to immigrants who helped build it. But he also maintained that it was not a safe haven for violent people. "We do not harbor criminals," the Democratic mayor said. "We arrest them."
The Trump administration in February sued Chicago over the policies. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker quickly condemned it, calling it a "massive" distraction.
Pritzker accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of blindsiding the state with the lawsuit while speaking on Chicago's West Side, WBBM reported. The suit challenges Illinois' sanctuary laws that prevent local police from assisting federal immigration raids.
"This administration is opaque, not transparent at all," Pritzker said. "They apparently are going after things that are, again, distracting from the big question, which is: Are they taking away Medicaid from a million people in Illinois?"
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