Chicago’s soon to be first black, gay mayor, Lori Lightfoot, hasn’t yet taken the oath to be sworn in, but says that she will welcome shipments of immigrants seeking asylum if the Trump administration were to send them. She has thus embraced the status of the Windy City as a sanctuary city.
Lightfoot’s statement came after President Donald Trump said Friday, April 12, 2019, that his administration is “strongly looking at” the possibility of releasing immigrants into so-called sanctuary cities, CNN reported.
Earlier that day, in an effort to point out the Democrats’ unwillingness to accept stricter immigration policies, Trump wrote on Twitter, “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only.”
He added: “The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy—so this should make them very happy!”
Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019
Lightfoot, the 56-year-old former federal prosecutor, did not seem impressed by the president’s words. According to Fox News, she said Trump was just being “provocative,” and that the whole stir was “much ado about nothing.”
In an interview with CNN last Friday, Lightfoot said, “We are a city that is a sanctuary city. We have immigrants from all over the world who calls Chicago their home. They’ll continue to do so that, and we’re going to continue to make sure that this is truly a welcoming community for those immigrants, and we want them to come to the city of Chicago.”
After the White House proposed releasing illegal immigrant detainees in sanctuary cities, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reacted negatively, with her office calling the idea “despicable.”
“The extent of this Administration’s cynicism and cruelty cannot be overstated,” Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne said in a statement on Friday, April 12. “Using human beings—including little children—as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable, and in some cases, criminal.”
The Daily Caller reported that National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd claimed during a “Fox & Friends” segment that President Donald Trump’s proposed plan is “brilliant” and should have been embraced by both camps. He said: “If he’s doing it for humanitarian purposes, he should be praised. These are cities that the city councils have consciously made a decision they’re going to accept the illegal aliens into their cities to protect them.”
He went on: “If he’s doing it for political reasons, this is brilliant. These people have to be released for one reason or another. And if we’re going to have to release them, why not show the sanctuary cities the same pressure that other cities are feeling.”
Epoch Times Reporter Allen Zhong contributed to this report.
