Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is the latest Democrat to declare his intention to resist former President Donald Trump's proposed mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, suggesting that the city's local government and residents would not comply with federal immigration enforcement aimed at dismantling the city's sanctuary protections.
In an interview with local news outlet Denverite, Johnston suggested that the city's residents would be the first ones to resist the policy and offered an analogy to a historic episode of resistance:
"More than us having Denver Police stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there. 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."
The "Highland moms" he referenced in his comments are local citizens who have rallied in support of immigrants, organizing aid and donation drives when migrant populations surged in Denver last year, according to Denver 7.
Johnston also went on to reaffirm Denver's commitment to being a sanctuary city, where undocumented residents can access services without fear of deportation. "We're not going to sell out those values to anyone," Johnston added. "We're not going to be bullied into changing them."
On Thursday, however, a representative for Johnson doubled down on his comments through a statement:
"In Denver we respect the law and enforce it without fear or favor across every inch of our city. If Donald Trump tries to break the law and abuse his power, he will get no help from us," said Mayor Mike Johnston. "Denver is proud to be a welcoming city, and we will do everything in our power to protect those who live here. We are considering a number of options to strengthen protections for all our residents, and we continue to provide education about the rights of our immigrant community so they can best protect themselves from any unlawful actions"
In the last few days, other Democrats have taken stances similar to the Denver mayor, including the governors of Illinois and California, who have both pledged to uphold their sanctuary policies despite potential federal challenges. On Wednesday, Oregon governor Tina Kotek also announced she is implementing measures to counteract Trump's proposed policies, saying she would not "stand idly" as civil liberties, abortion access, and other priorities come "under attack from national partisan politics."
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