Chicago alderman says Mayor Brandon Johnson can't defend sanctuary city policies: 'Lamb to the slaughter'

A Chicago alderman said Mayor Brandon Johnson has "no defense" up of his legislature grounds connected the sanctuary city's policies. 

"As acold arsenic the politician going to D.C., he's going similar a lamb going to the slaughter," Chicago Alderman Anthony Napolitano told Fox News Digital.

"There's nary reply for this," the alderman of Chicago's 41st ward said astir however the city's policies person impacted residents. "We should not person been a sanctuary metropolis to statesman with. You're punishing taxpayers by utilizing their wealth to assistance the illegals."

Johnson, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston are acceptable to support their cities’ sanctuary presumption earlier Congress connected Wednesday.

ICE ARREST OF MIGRANT SPARKS ANGER PROTEST BEFORE VIOLENT GANG TIES EXPOSED

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is criticizing ICE operations there. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Mayor Johnson: "We’re going to clasp to our values"

During a quality league past week, Johnson previewed his stance, emphasizing his committedness to defending Chicago's policies.

"We’re going to clasp to our values, and whether oregon not we tin get our connection crossed successful that peculiar country doesn’t mean that I’m gonna stop delivering the connection of hope," helium said. "March 5 or immoderate different time I’m gonna show up, I’m gonna show up for the radical of Chicago arsenic I’ve ever done."

On the city's website, Johnson touts the "city's 560,000 foreign-born residents."

"Chicago volition ever beryllium a welcoming metropolis and a champion for the rights of our migrant and exile communities," helium wrote.

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Migrants are led from 1 autobus to different autobus aft arriving from Texas astatine Union Station connected Sept. 9, 2022 successful Chicago. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Napolitano, a first-generation American, said that Chicago's sanctuary metropolis policies were enactment to the trial erstwhile illegals flooded the Windy City.

"When we archetypal became a sanctuary city, it was casual to do. It was a pat connected our administration's back, due to the fact that the [southern] borderline is 1,450 miles away," helium said. "But erstwhile they came, and they came successful ample amounts – up to 50,000-60,000 radical – it wounded our infrastructure."

He shared that the metropolis was not prepared to supply escaped lodging for the tens of thousands of migrants.

"It wounded a metropolis that is already facing an astronomical magnitude of transgression present due to the fact that of policies that person been passed by progressives and socialists," helium said. "It's made the transgression much of the unfortunate and the unfortunate much of the criminal."

"They're bringing each these radical present and promising a amended mode of life," helium said. "But they person nary programs acceptable up for them."

Demonstrators look disconnected with Chicago PD aft they breach the obstruction extracurricular the United Center wherever the DNC is being held successful Chicago connected Monday, Aug. 19 2024. Pro-Hamas demonstrators descended connected the Windy City to protestation the U.S. government's handling of the struggle successful the Middle East. (Fox News Digital)

The lack of programs has contributed to a emergence successful migrant-related crime, adding to the city's ongoing conflict with transgression rates, Napolitano said.

"There's a batch of radical conscionable lasting astir doing thing that, who are, unfortunately, reverting to crime, looking for a mode to enactment themselves and their family," helium said. "It happened successful my ain ward. We had a homicide of a antheral by 2 amerciable immigrants that had murdered him."

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To adhd to the city's compounding problem, constabulary are struggling to pull and clasp officers.

"When I became a Chicago constabulary officer, I took the trial successful 1997, I took it with implicit 45,000 imaginable candidates. They can't get much than 2,000 radical to instrumentality this occupation now, oregon to instrumentality the test, to instrumentality the occupation due to the fact that they're fearful to instrumentality this job," helium said. 

Operation Lone Star

In 2022, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced Operation Lone Star to autobus migrants to sanctuary cities astir the country. Abbott said helium was doing it to forestall Texas from shouldering "the burdens imposed by open-border advocates successful different parts of the country."

In Abbott's arguable program, Texas bussed much than 102,000 migrants to sanctuary cities astir the country, with Chicago receiving astir 51,000 migrants since August 2022.

WATCH: Chicago residents fed up with spending connected amerciable immigrant

In caller years, nonmigratory vexation has boiled implicit astatine metropolis assembly meetings aft elected leaders proposed taxation hikes to code the city’s fund deficit, arsenic the metropolis grappled with spending much than fractional a cardinal dollars connected lodging and feeding migrants. 

"The taxpayers are paying for and backing this amerciable migrant crisis," South Side nonmigratory Danielle Carter antecedently told Fox News Digital. "So, therefore, it's not just to america due to the fact that they are taking our resources. They are spending our taxation dollars connected radical who crossed the borderline illegally. I deliberation everybody who came implicit present illegally should get deported and travel backmost legally."

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet gathering astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., connected Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (Pool via AP)

Johnson's proceeding connected Wednesday is apt to correspond a flash constituent successful the ongoing conflict betwixt the metropolis and the GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and the Trump administration.

The Trump medication is attempting to portion sanctuary cities of each national funding, with Chicago receiving astir $4 cardinal annually from the national government.

From near to right, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu are scheduled to attest earlier Congress. (Getty/AP)

Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the committee’s chair, has accused each 4 mayors of prioritizing "criminal amerciable aliens implicit the American people."

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Fox News Digital has reached retired to Johnson's bureau for comment.

Fox News’ Joshua Nelson contributed to this report.