Dem Denver Mayor Mike Johnston walks back comments about using police to block Trump's deportation efforts

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has walked back earlier comments suggesting he would use city authorities to resist any mass deportation efforts under President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming administration.

In an interview with Denverite earlier this week, Johnston had implied that Denver residents and police officers would physically oppose such measures, saying, “More than us having [Denver Police Department] stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there.”

“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,” he added.

However, during an interview Friday with Denver’s 9News, Johnston expressed regret for his previous comments and the comparison he made. “Would I have taken it back if I could? Yes, I probably wouldn't have used that image,” Johnston said. "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. I think none of us want that."

Johnston’s remarks come amid growing attention to Denver’s significant influx of migrants. A recent report by the New York Post revealed that since 2022, approximately 40,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in the city. This large influx has made Denver the city with the highest per capita number of migrants in the United States. Additionally, Colorado has drawn scrutiny in the past months for the presence of the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang known for its criminal activities.

Trump’s proposal to enact mass deportations was a central element of his successful presidential campaign. Despite immediate pushback from Democratic leaders, the election results and recent polling indicate that a majority of Americans support large-scale measures to deport illegal immigrants.