Telegram is where we really talk. Don't miss out!
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) reacted strongly during a press event on Friday when a reporter used the term “illegal aliens,” labeling it as “racist” and “nasty.”
In the recorded exchange, a reporter inquired about a required filing detailing the city’s expenditures on “illegal aliens” in Chicago for the Trump administration.
Johnson quickly expressed his discontent with the terminology. “We don’t have illegal aliens,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s from some sort of sci-fi message that you wish… Well, listen, the legal term for my people were slaves. You want me to use that term, too? So, look, let’s just get the language right. We’re talking about undocumented individuals that are human beings.”
He further emphasized that he would not tolerate what he described as “racist, nasty language to describe human beings.”
Johnson then shifted focus to his administration’s budget priorities, highlighting a proposed $16.7 billion budget that he claims invests heavily in education, transportation, housing, environmental justice, youth employment, and community safety. “And we are going to challenge the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share,” he added, as reported by Fox News.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) supported Johnson’s remarks, arguing that immigration violations are civil offenses, despite federal law indicating otherwise. “It is very important that people in Illinois and across the country understand the immigration system is a civil system,” Jayapal stated. “Undocumented presence in the United States is not a criminal offense. And so thank you for the clarification on language.”
Johnson has consistently defended Chicago’s immigration policies and criticized former President Donald Trump’s approach to crime and border enforcement. In a September news conference, he denounced Trump’s crime crackdown, stating, “Jails and incarceration and law enforcement is a sickness that has not led to safe communities.”
However, just a week prior, three undocumented individuals and six U.S. citizens were apprehended in Chicago during a violent day of Operation Midway Blitz, launched by Homeland Security in response to a fatal hit-and-run incident involving an undocumented immigrant. The operation aimed to “target illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in sanctuary Illinois.”
