By In a firm stand against what he views as defiance of federal law, Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s newly appointed “border czar,” has warned Denver Mayor Mike Johnston of legal consequences if he obstructs planned federal deportation efforts. Homan, a former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), made the statement during an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, highlighting Johnston’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
“You are absolutely breaking the law,” Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” designate, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “All he has to do is look at Arizona v. U.S. and he would see he’s breaking the law. But, look, 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.”
Johnston’s position stems from Denver’s status as a sanctuary city, which shields undocumented immigrants by limiting local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, particularly in cases involving non-violent crimes. Johnston has declared that his administration will continue to prioritize the protection of undocumented residents, despite federal pressure. He likened potential federal intervention to Denver’s own “Tiananmen Square moment” and warned that local residents, including organized groups like the “Highland moms,” would resist enforcement efforts.
“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston told Denverite. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants. And you do not want to mess with them.”
The comments come just months after the mayor begged Biden for help dealing with the massive influx of migrants coming to his city, straining its services.
Although the mayor walked back those comments later, he still said he’s ready to go to jail for obstructing Trump’s immigration actions he thinks are “wrong.”
“Would I have taken it back if I could? Yes, I probably wouldn’t have used that image,” Johnston told a local news outlet. “That’s the image I hope we can avoid. What I was trying to say is this is an outcome I hope we can avoid in this country.”
Critics of sanctuary policies, such as Homan and other conservatives, argue these measures undermine public safety by encouraging lawlessness and attracting criminal elements. For example, recent reports claim that Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang overtook three apartment complexes in nearby Aurora, highlighting the risks some associate with lax immigration enforcement. Sanctuary policy supporters argue that these measures build trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, but opponents counter that they shield individuals who may pose a threat to public safety.
“President Trump has been clear: We want to concentrate on public safety threats and national security threats,” Homan continued. “And I find it shocking that any mayor of the city would say they don’t want public safety threats removed from their neighborhoods.”
He also didn’t beat around the bush when it comes to Johnston’s threats: “Me and the Denver mayor agree on one thing: He is willing to go to jail, and I am willing to put him there.”
One state where local leaders have welcomed Trump’s victory is Texas. The Washington Post reports that “Gov. Greg Abbott and other top officials have spent the past four years positioning themselves as the Biden administration’s greatest antagonists — and heirs to the border enforcement campaign begun by the last Trump administration. Despite having no constitutional authority on immigration enforcement, they have used tools of the state to dramatically escalate anti-immigrant policy and legislation locally while steering a similar narrative nationally.
Among their moves: pumping $11 billion into Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border enforcement, busing migrants to distant states and targeting organizations that advocate for them. All marked a clear departure from the “compassionate conservatism” of a Texas GOP that once granted in-state tuition to undocumented students and resettled thousands of refugees.
Since the Nov. 5 election, state leaders have suggested they could reduce funding for border security, especially if the federal government takes over. On Tuesday, however, Abbott and Homan talked about working together to ramp up, not scale back.
Once Trump takes office, Abbott said, ‘we’re going to be doing more and faster than anything that’s ever been done to regain control of our border, restore order in our communities and also identify, locate and deport criminals in the United States of America who have come across the border.’”
Homan commended Operation Lone Star, highlighting its “unprecedented success in Texas.” He described the state’s approach as a blueprint for nationwide implementation, suggesting it could guide future efforts to carry out large-scale deportations. “This is a model we can take across the country,” Homan stated.
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