In a stunning break from the Democratic Party’s usual anti-Trump narrative, Chicago Alderman Ray Lopez (D–15th Ward) went on Fox News this week to publicly praise President Trump’s federal crackdown on crime and illegal immigration in Chicago — and to slam the city’s far-left leadership for standing in the way.
Lopez, a longtime critic of Chicago’s soft-on-crime policies, told Fox that his constituents are overwhelmingly supportive of the president’s plan to flood the city with federal agents, calling it a much-needed step to restore safety and order to a city that has become synonymous with gang violence and chaos.
“Absolutely not,” Lopez said when asked if his community agreed with anti-ICE rhetoric coming from City Hall. “There are many people in the city of Chicago who completely support having the additional resources to keep both ICE agents and community protesters safe.”
The alderman’s comments come amid ongoing outrage from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, both of whom have condemned the Trump administration’s deployment of federal law enforcement to their state. The operation, launched in September, has already seen significant success in targeting gang activity and supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations against illegal aliens — despite pushback from local Democrat officials.
Lopez didn’t mince words when calling out his own party’s failures. “What we have seen is a complete abdication of responsibility, both by Governor Pritzker and by the mayor of the city of Chicago, who have refused up until this point to allow police just to maintain the peace for protesters and for ICE agents doing their job,” he said.
Lopez went on to describe how ordinary Chicagoans — especially those living in the city’s crime-plagued South and West Sides — are desperate for federal help. “We need to bring some sanity back to the conversation,” Lopez said. “And a majority of Chicagoans want to see that happen.”
President Trump has made it clear he’s done waiting for failed Democrat leaders to do their jobs. In recent weeks, he’s authorized additional ICE support, Homeland Security reinforcements, and special operations units to assist with the crackdown. The president even took to Truth Social to blast Johnson and Pritzker for their refusal to protect federal officers, writing: “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers! Governor Pritzker also!”
The president followed up with a promise to expand the federal law enforcement presence across multiple crime-ridden Democrat cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Memphis. “The only reason crime is somewhat down in Memphis is because the FBI, and others in the Federal Government, at my direction, have been working there for 5 months,” Trump said. “Likewise, in Chicago and Los Angeles! But the real work by us has barely begun… The no-crime miracle begins when we show up. ONLY I CAN SAVE THEM!”
For many Chicago residents, Trump’s strong stance is a breath of fresh air after years of failed Democrat leadership, empty promises, and rising violence. Even some Democrats, like Lopez, are finally admitting what the rest of America already knows — that Chicago’s radical leaders have lost control, and it’s going to take Trump’s law-and-order approach to save the city.
