With the second Trump administration right around the corner, American mayors are wondering how they’ll navigate expected changes in federal immigration policy, and that includes Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
“We are paying careful attention to what is going to come in terms of both federal policy change and in terms of federal practice,” he said after moderating a panel on the subject at the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ winter meeting in Washington, D.C. this weekend. Johnston chairs the group’s Immigration Reform Task Force. “There is a common-sense alignment among mayors that there is a reasonable way to approach this that would help us both keep cities safe and keep families united.”
President-elect Donald Trump made a number of promises during the campaign around immigration and border security, including calling for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and trying to eliminate birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the 14th Amendment.
This week, the man Trump tapped to be his border czar, former ICE head Tom Homan, told Fox News there will be immigration raids “all across the country,” with other news outlets reporting that raids could start in Chicago as soon as Tuesday.
When it comes to possible ICE raids in Denver, Johnston said he’s worried about “historically protected places, like churches and hospitals and schools,” as well as the court facilities where people who have applied for asylum wait for their hearings.
“We won’t make any assumptions until we see what their approaches are, but we’re willing to partner on reasonable solutions,” he said.
Trump and other Republicans have also talked about defunding so-called sanctuary cities. It was a major concern many mayors brought up in the discussion. One mayor of a majority Latino city said they’ve been calling themselves a ‘welcoming city’ rather than a sanctuary city because of the Trump administration.
Johnston said he hoped the Colorado congressional delegation would support Denver if the Trump administration tries to target it. “We also are American citizens and taxpayers like everyone else. And so, we think we’re entitled to our fair share of services as every city is.”
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade attended the panel Saturday, in part because of all the chatter around mass deportation and immigration.
“I’ve had a number of pastors in my city actually reach out to say, ‘Hey, what’s going on here? We have concerns.’ So, I’m trying to figure out what’s fact from fiction,” he said.
Mobolade said during the first Trump administration there was a difference between what the president said and how he governed. He said at this point, he’s trying to figure out what’s true or not true.
“I am prepared to work with the federal government in areas that make sense and be a good partner,” said Mobolade, “But ultimately I want to be able to deescalate any kind of unnecessary worries.”
During the discussion, Johnston noted that mayors deal with the on-the-ground impact of immigration every day, and they have been “powerful voices” for comprehensive immigration reform.
“We want to see federal action that can address both path-to-citizenship, path-to-work-authorization, the ability to manage and support resources for cities that are welcoming cities, and to figure out how we can reach some common-sense solutions here,” he said.
Denver has been under a microscope for more than a year as it has dealt with a large influx of new immigrants.
Previously, Johnston has touted the city’s housing and training program for newcomers, the Denver Asylum Seeker program, and he’s said it has helped turn a crisis into an “opportunity” for the city.
After Trump’s reelection, Johnston said the city would “continue to be a welcoming, open, big-hearted city”. He also drew the ire of conservatives like Elon Musk and Fox News when, in an interview with Denverite, he talked hypothetically about how Denver residents might resist an immigration crackdown.
Trump has also used Aurora as a reason for stricter immigration enforcement. He has claimed that several apartment buildings have had a “complete gang takeover,” from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
At a campaign stop in Colorado last October, Trump said he’d invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target criminal immigrant networks and said he’d name it “Operation Aurora.”
The three apartment complexes in question have suffered from gang activity, as well as neglect from the company that owns the buildings. The city of Aurora is moving to close one of the apartment buildings, The Edge at Lowry, as soon as next month.
