Immigration battle between Trump team and Democratic strongholds heats up

For now, these are just threats, but they paint a turbulent picture of the future. “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,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston declared defiantly in a recent interview with a local outlet. He was referring to the possibility of the incoming Donald Trump administration deploying federal agents or National Guard troops from other states to conduct immigration raids in Colorado’s capital. As a designated “sanctuary city,” Denver does not cooperate with the federal government on immigration enforcement. “We’re not going to sell out those values to anyone,” Johnston added. “We’re not going to be bullied into changing them.”

The response from Tom Homan, a hardliner Trump appointed as his “border czar” after winning the election, came on Monday. Appearing alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott — a staunch ally of Trumpism — on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, Homan warned that he would not let Johnston hinder his plans. “Me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing; he’s willing to go to jail. I’m willing to put him in jail,” he said. “It’s a felony if you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from immigration authorities. It’s also a felony to impede a federal law enforcement officer. So if he don’t help, that’s fine. He can get the hell out of the way, but we’re going to go do the job.”

This standoff is the latest chapter in an escalating battle. Since Trump’s election victory less than a month ago, Democratic governors and mayors nationwide have vowed to resist cooperating with his immigration agenda. Meanwhile, Trump, Homan, and other members of the president-elect’s circle have issued stark warnings to the officials who have spoken out against the Republican’s plan to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history.” Threats include imprisonment, as suggested by Homan in Johnston’s case; severe cuts to federal funding for defiant states and cities, which could cripple local budgets; and the deployment of thousands of federal agents to enforce immigration laws directly in noncompliant communities.

When contacted by EL PAÍS, Mayor Johnston reiterated his stance in a more measured 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. 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,” the statement said. A spokesperson for the mayor added that Denver would withhold further comment on a federal policy that has yet to be detailed.

The capital of Colorado has been a prominent target of xenophobic rhetoric from the president-elect and his inner circle since before the election. Aurora, a suburb of Denver, has particularly drawn attention. A few months ago, the town went viral due to allegation that the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua was operating in the area. Trump capitalized on this narrative by naming his strategy to deport undocumented immigrants involved in criminal groups Operation Aurora.

However, Denver is far from the only city resisting the Republican’s plans. Last week, Los Angeles officially declared itself a “sanctuary city.” Although California’s largest city has operated under sanctuary policies for decades, this legal codification strengthens its stance by explicitly prohibiting both direct and indirect sharing of data with federal immigration authorities.

This move by Los Angeles sparked a strong response from Homan. “If I’ve got to send twice as many officers to L.A. because we’re not getting any assistance, then that’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “We’ve got a mandate, President Trump’s serious about this, I’m serious about this. This is going to happen with or without you.”

Similar tensions were seen on the other side of the country. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, herself the daughter of immigrants, has vowed to fight the mass deportation effort. “We are not cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and having large-scale economic impact,” she said. Massachusetts’s largest city has reinforced its commitment through the Trust Act, which prohibits police from stopping or arresting individuals solely for immigration enforcement purposes.

Homan, in keeping with his and Trump’s combative tone, lashed out at Wu during an interview on Newsmax, describing her as “not very smart” and reiterating that harboring undocumented immigrants is a federal crime. “Either she helps us [or] she gets the hell out of the way because we’re going to do it,” Homan said. “To those people who say they’re going to stop us from what they’re doing, they will not [...] You’re not going to stop us. But let me give you a word of advice. If you impede us, there’s going to be consequences.”

The consequences Homan alluded to include cuts in federal funding to states and cities, a common leverage tactic in negotiations between Washington and local governments. Speaking again on Fox News a few days ago, Homan said: “That’s going to happen. I guarantee President Trump will do that.”

These threats are far from hollow. The potential withholding of federal funds could have significant financial consequences. In fiscal year 2021, California received approximately $163 billion in federal grants, New York $110 billion, and Texas $106 billion. While these figures were unusually high due to pandemic-related assistance, federal funding remains a critical revenue source for states, ranking as the second-largest revenue stream in fiscal year 2022, according to a Pew analysis.

Trump’s deportation plan, however, is fraught with uncertainty. While the president-elect and his team have made their goals clear, the mechanisms for executing them remain ambiguous, especially given the resistance from states and cities refusing to cooperate. States like Texas and Florida have pledged full support for Trump’s immigration agenda, but a significant number of other jurisdictions are pushing back, intensifying the already heated political climate.

But with control over all three branches of government, Trump and his team appear determined to press forward with their agenda, undeterred by the opposition.

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