'You Either Want Democracy Or You Want An Oligarchy': Brandon Johnson Slams Trump Administration

In a press conference on Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson answered a question about increased funding for ICE.

Transcript

00:00Given the bill's massive increase for ICE and the willingness of the Trump

00:06administration to change the way that it uses ICE agents, especially since what

00:12we saw in Los Angeles yesterday in MacArthur Park, does the city

00:16fundamentally need to rethink how it interacts with federal officials when it

00:21comes to not just immigration but every level, considering that increase in the

00:28funding and the willingness to no longer operate as it had under previous

00:33administrations. Well first of all thank you for the question and it's clear that

00:39the President of the United States of America is using ICE, this particular

00:43federal entity, as a militarized force. That is that's obvious. It's unprecedented.

00:49To your question, I appreciate the analysis that you've offered, is that the

00:56city of Chicago, like all cities across America, will have to be far more

01:00thoughtful and even innovative in how we approach the federal government period.

01:07You know, look, I don't often quote, you know, historic leaders but Brandeis is

01:13probably one of the more progressive voices of that time and as I mentioned,

01:18you either want democracy or you want an oligarchy, right? And I want democracy and I

01:24believe most Americans, if not all Americans, want that as well. So this is

01:30unprecedented and to the extent in which we're going to have to rely upon one

01:35another, other cities and states coming together to find the best way in which we

01:39can interact with a federal government that is quite hostile towards states and cities.

01:44That's going to be an ongoing effort. Excuse me. Please continue. I'm just coughing a little bit.