Mayor Responds To Term Used by Reporter
In a striking display of rhetorical fervor, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson launched into a fiery rebuke on Friday after a reporter used the term “illegal aliens” during a press briefing—a phrase Johnson forcefully condemned as “racist” and “nasty.”
The moment, now circulating across social media, is emblematic of the widening linguistic and ideological divide surrounding immigration discourse in American cities grappling with the consequences of federal immigration policy.
The confrontation began when the reporter asked about a report Johnson was allegedly required to submit to the White House concerning city expenditures tied to undocumented immigrants residing in Chicago. Johnson, visibly frustrated, interjected sharply.
“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 you’ve had… Well listen, the legal term for my people were slaves. You want me to use that term too?”
This pointed comparison reframed the conversation, moving it from policy to semantics—and from semantics to morality. Johnson’s assertion—that terminology shapes perceptions and dehumanizes individuals—underscored his broader argument: that the language we use determines the dignity we assign.
The mayor, a progressive Democrat, pivoted from the tense exchange to promote his $16.7 billion city budget. He highlighted investments in public education, housing, transportation, environmental justice, and community safety—drawing a direct line between these policy areas and his approach to both immigration and public welfare.
“We are going to challenge the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share,” Johnson declared, reinforcing a populist tone consistent with his past criticisms of federal policies under President Donald Trump.
Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal echoed Johnson’s views, emphasizing that “undocumented presence in the United States is not a criminal offense.” She called for greater public understanding of the civil—not criminal—nature of immigration law.
Yet, these assertions arrive in sharp contrast with unfolding enforcement operations. Just days earlier, DHS arrested nine individuals—three of them illegal immigrants—in Chicago as part of Operation Midway Blitz, which it described as “one of the most violent days” in the operation’s efforts. Launched in honor of Katie Abraham, a young woman tragically killed in a hit-and-run involving an undocumented Guatemalan national, the initiative aims to crack down on what DHS calls “criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in sanctuary Illinois.”