Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson faced scrutiny after a reporter questioned his stance on a sex offender’s presence in the city, a situation spotlighted by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a targeted crackdown on illegal immigration under the Trump administration. Mayor Johnson played down the concern, highlighting that it wasn’t within the city’s jurisdiction to apprehend the sex offender. Instead, he emphasized that federal authorities should bear the responsibility for such actions.
During an ICE operation intensified by executive orders from President Trump, several undocumented individuals accused of crimes were detained and deported. The significant policy shift came after Trump rolled back executive orders from former President Joe Biden that had softened immigration enforcement. During the interaction, a reporter pushed Mayor Johnson with: “Tom Homan showed up in Chicago and within 24 hours found a convicted sex offender who has been living in our city since 2009, flouting the sex offender registry. If he can do this, why can’t you?” To which Johnson retorted, “Because that’s their job. That is their job. The federal government has a responsibility to make sure that individuals who are undocumented who have been charged with, convicted of, a crime, it is the federal government’s responsibility to do their part to uphold the law. Our local police department, along with our public health department, along with our other sister agencies are working to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago, and as we’ve stated repeatedly, those critical investments, continue to see the results of those investment as violent crime continues to fall in Chicago.”
While there has been a reported decrease in violent crime in 2024, crime levels remain higher than during the years 2019 through 2022, based on research from the University of Chicago. Notably, aggravated assault and aggravated battery have seen an uptick from the previous year, 2023 to 2024.
State and city officials have allocated substantial funds, running into hundreds of millions of dollars, to support over 35,000 migrants who have been relocated to Chicago from border states. Critics, including Fox News in February, have questioned this expenditure amid rising local opposition. In 2023, Black residents in Chicago pushed back against the city’s proposal to turn shuttered sites like a closed high school on the South Side into shelters for migrants, ABC 7 Chicago reported. The community’s frustrations echo concerns over city resources being diverted from existing needs.
The influx of illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities, including Chicago and New York City, has been partly due to strategic relocations orchestrated by Republican leaders such as Texas Governor Greg Abbott. This controversial initiative began in 2022 and was supported by then-Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, targeting cities that have been vocal about their sanctuary policies.
h/t: Steadfast and Loyal
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