Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to Trump threat to revoke federal aid for sanctuary cities
Mayor Brandon Johnson sought to reassure Chicagoans on Tuesday that his administration would defend itself against President Donald Trump's latest threat to strip cities with sanctuary policies for immigrants of federal aid.
In a statement, the mayor's spokesperson Cassio Mendoza said the city 'complies with all federal and state laws,' while suggesting any attempt to jeopardize the roughly $3.5 billion Chicago receives in federal grant dollars would be unconstitutional.
'Mayor Johnson's administration will vigorously defend Chicagoans from any unconstitutional or unlawful attempts to strip residents of the funding and services that they are entitled to,' Mendoza wrote. 'The Department of Law will continue to assess any correspondence from the Trump administration that may impact Chicagoans in any way.'
Earlier Thursday morning, the president posted on TruthSocial that he is working to 'withhold all Federal Funding' for sanctuary cities, without naming which ones.
It's the latest salvo in the White House's crackdown on immigration that has Chicago and other Democratic-led cities in its crosshairs, though it lacked details on implementation. The Trump administration has made similar threats in the past, which are red meat to his conservative base.
'No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims,' Trump's post said. 'They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!'
Johnson's 2025 budget contains $2.72 billion in federal funds, and Chicago Public Schools receives $1.3 billion. The Red Line Extension project is expecting $1.9 billion in federal grants.
The Trump administration has moved to strip federal funding from blue states and cities throughout his two terms but found itself mired in lawsuits. A federal judge has blocked the White House's sweeping January directive freezing trillions of dollars in aid, and during his first term Trump's Justice Department tried to withhold funds to Chicago and other sanctuary cities but similarly lost in court.
Should the president make good on his latest threat, he will likely also face legal challenges. Still, the rightward shift of the federal court system over the past decade and the 6-3 conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court means Trump's funding crackdown over the issue of immigration remains a concern.
Johnson, a freshman mayor with a host of challenges back home, has tried to position himself as the progressive antidote to Trump in order to shore up his own popularity midway into a difficult first term.
In one February text exchange between Johnson and his ally Ald. Walter Burnett, obtained by the Tribune via a public records request, that line of thinking was on full display as Burnett messaged: 'He is going to bring us together more.'
Burnett followed up the next day, 'I'm was [sic] referring to trump,' to which Johnson responded with an exclamation point reaction.
'I was referring to trump bringing everyone closer together,' Burnett repeated.
But how exactly to respond to the Trump administration has been a thorny question for Johnson and other Democratic politicians, as the president's second term has shown a more unfettered and retributory side that leaves some Chicagoans pondering whether it makes sense to further antagonize him.
At the same time, Trump has shown himself to be adept at flinging around controversial ideas to dominate news cycle but not following through.
Last week, Johnson's office walked back one of his starkest retorts of Trump yet, over the president's threats to revoke funds from school districts that promote diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
'We're gonna sue,' Johnson told reporters when asked how he would respond. 'We're not going to be intimidated by these threats. It's just that simple. So whatever it is that this tyrant is trying to do to this city, we're going to fight back.'
Later that afternoon, the mayor's press office sought to tamp down his comments in a statement that said, 'Mayor Johnson was not announcing a specific legal action about this particular memo but rather, was speaking more broadly about the importance of fighting back against federal overreach.'
Johnson himself is being sued by the Trump administration over immigration. The mayor, Gov. JB Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle are named in the White House's legal challenge against their sanctuary policies that limit the powers of state and local police to help federal law enforcement with deportations.
Chicago's sanctuary city ordinance, in place since the 1980s, bans official cooperation between local law enforcement and federal deportation authorities, while ensuring immigrants living without legal permission can use city services. Johnson joined three other Democratic mayors at the U.S. Capitol last month during a marathon GOP-led congressional hearing in which he sparred with Republicans over that exact policy.
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