Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed once again to “vigorously defend Chicagoans” from federal funding cuts after President Donald Trump’s latest threat Thursday to cut off resources from Washington to punish the city over its sanctuary policies for immigrants without legal status.
“No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World,” Trump wrote in a social media post, adding that he’s “working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!”
The mayor’s office has said the city is in line for $3.5 billion in new and existing federal grants expected in 2025.
In a statement responding to Trump’s latest barb, Johnson’s office said “the City of Chicago complies with all federal and state laws.
“Mayor Johnson’s administration will vigorously defend Chicagoans from any unconstitutional or unlawful attempts to strip residents of the funding and services that they are entitled to. The Department of Law will continue to assess any correspondence from the Trump administration that may impact Chicagoans in any way,” city officials said.
Officials in Chicago and the rest of Illinois have been on edge since Trump retook office in January with a vow to cut funding to state and local governments that don’t fall in line with his conservative agenda. Chicago Public Schools relied on $1.3 billion in federal funding last year.
Over the years, Trump has routinely tried to paint Democratic-controlled Chicago as a crime-ridden bastion of urban decay, due largely to its sanctuary policies.
The Welcoming City Ordinance prohibits Chicago police from assisting with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Similar laws are in place across Cook County and the rest of Illinois — but local officials at all levels are quick to note they still assist federal immigration authorities when they have criminal warrants.
The Trump administration sued the city, county and state in February in an effort to invalidate those sanctuary policies. The lawsuit is pending.
And last month, Trump allies summoned Johnson to Washington along with three other sanctuary city mayors for six hours of interrogation by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
“As mayor, I’m building a Chicago that embodies the dream of my father when he came from Sallis, Mississippi, during the Second Migration, a Chicago that’s investing in housing, health care, jobs and education,” Johnson told committee members. “We are ready to partner with you on the measures we know promote trust and create sustainable public safety.”