How Democrats are responding to Trump deportations

As President-elect Donald Trump charts plans to carry out mass deportations of illegal aliens, Democrats across the country are deciding whether or not they want to cooperate with the effort. Trump and his border czar, former acting ICE director Tom Homan, are reportedly mapping out a sophisticated operation that would include assistance from local and state law enforcement, ICE agents and potentially the National Guard and other military assets to identify and remove people who are in the country illegally, which number in the tens of millions. The wrench comes in with the local and state part of the equation; will Democratic officials order their law enforcement officers to stand down?

Some Democrats in “sanctuary states” and cities — locales wherein LEOs are prohibited from cooperating with ICE to deport suspected criminal illegal aliens — have already vowed to resist Trump’s mass deportation plans. Denver mayor Mike Johnson said his police force and Denver civilians would create a “Tiananmen Square moment” by attempting to physically block ICE agents from getting to migrants, despite the massive public resource spend and unfortunate presence of the Tren de Argua gang in Colorado. Massachusetts governor Maura Healey, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker, Boston mayor Michelle Wu and Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson are similarly promising to block federal efforts to boot illegal aliens.

California governor Gavin Newsom is moving more generally to resist all aspects of the incoming Trump administration. He is requesting an additional $25 million from state lawmakers to fund legal challenges against the Trump administration, with the ultimate goal being to “Trump-proof” the Golden State.

“We responded to his assault on California, where he tried to unwind our progress. And so what we’re doing now with a special session is not waiting to react to that. We’re preparing for that in a much more sober way,” Newsom said. 

But Trump did receive support for mass deportations from an unlikely source. New York City mayor Eric Adams and New York governor Kathy Hochul both publicly gave the thumbs up to ridding their city and state of illegal aliens charged with crimes. “My position is people who commit crimes in our city, you have abdicated your right to be in our city and I am open to figure out the best way to address that,” Adams, who plans to meet with Homan about deportations, said. Adams previously only supported deporting illegal aliens who had been convicted, not just charged, with a crime. Hochul echoed Adams’s newfound aggression, stating that she would personally call ICE to remove get rid of suspected criminal illegal aliens. “If someone breaks the law, I’ll be the first person to call up ICE and say ‘get them outta here,’” she said, adding, “If there are other people who commit crimes or are known to be criminals before they arrive here, when those are identified, I’ll be the first one to help get rid of them; I don’t want them here.”

-Amber Duke

On our radar

ON BACKGROUND The incoming Trump administration reached an agreement with the FBI to conduct background checks on President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for cabinet positions. The transition team can also begin submitting names for security clearances.  

‘TARGETED ATTACK’ The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was shot dead in midtown Manhattan ahead of his planned speech at an investor meeting. Police say the killing was targeted and are offering a $10,000 reward for information about the suspected gunman. 

FULL HOUSE The makeup of the House of Representatives in 2025 is finally confirmed after the last outstanding race was called in favor of California Democrat Adam Gray. Gray defeated incumbent Republican John Duarte, leaving the GOP with a five-seat majority in the new Congress. 

Transition troubles

Florida-based sheriff Chad Chronister, Trump’s pick to head the “Drug Enforcement Agency [sic],” announced that he was withdrawing his name from consideration for the position. His decision follows a withering campaign against him led by conservatives on social media who took issue with his record during the coronavirus pandemic, during which he arrested a pastor and urged boaters to social distance at fifty feet.

“Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister said in a statement. “There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling. I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County.”

Some in the Drug Enforcement Administration weren’t sad to see Chronister bow out — and there are rumors that it wasn’t just his Covid-era tyranny that sank him in. His confirmation hearing may have yielded more skeletons in his closet than currently known, Cockburn was told by sources in the know.

Chronister joins former congressman Matt Gaetz as the two highest-profile casualties of Trump’s attempts to staff his second administration. However rumors are swirling that Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to run the Department of Defense, may soon head for the exits. The Wall Street Journal reports that the plethora of stories about Hegseth’s alleged sexual misconduct and rampant alcohol use are sullying the pick and that Trump may replace him with yet another Florida man, Governor Ron DeSantis.

As for who will succeed Chronister as Trump’s desired DEA head? Many internally want Derek Malz to get the nod; Malz spent decades in federal law enforcement and has worked closely on both border security issues and with families afflicted by the fentanyl crisis — two issues at the forefront of the Trump agenda.

–Cockburn

Holiday horror show?

Former first lady Melania Trump’s red White House Christmas trees were once dubbed a “holiday horror show” by the media, but Dr. Jill Biden’s holiday display this year looks more like a clown show. The 2024 theme is “Season of Peace and Light,” but Dr. Jill clearly told decorators to leave the peace and crank up the light. When looking at photos of the decorations, prepare for your eyes to be assaulted by a neon carousel in the Blue Room and Brite-Lite-esque Christmas trees in the State Dining Room.

“Jill Biden’s Christmas decorations look like what would happen if a group of circus clowns projectile vomited all over the White House, which I guess is the perfect metaphor to sum up the last four years,” tweeted the Trump campaign’s deputy rapid response director, Greg Price. 

The holiday circus — or insane asylum, depending on who you ask — was made complete with magenta, cyan, yellow and black curtains that seem inspired by… printer ribbon? The Shining called and it wants its props back. 

–Matthew Foldi