As Immigration and Customs Enforcement intensifies its long-overdue crackdown on fraud, lawlessness, and illegal immigration in Minneapolis, the predictable backlash from sanctuary city politicians has followed. Rather than welcome federal help to restore order, liberal mayors are once again pointing fingers at ICE—blaming the very agency tasked with enforcing the law for the chaos their own policies have created.
Leading the charge is Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who this week absurdly accused ICE and Border Patrol leadership of causing Chicago’s crime problems. In remarks that defy both logic and data, Johnson claimed the city was “on the right track” until federal immigration enforcement stepped in.
The reality, however, is far less flattering to Chicago’s progressive leadership. While a recent analysis showed that the summer of 2025 was Chicago’s “safest” in six decades—with 123 murders between June and August—that statistic comes with a massive asterisk. The University of Chicago Crime Lab found that violent crime in the city remains elevated compared to peer cities around the world. In other words, Chicago is still far from safe—it’s just less deadly than its own recent past.
Nevertheless, Johnson seized on the moment to attack the Department of Homeland Security, blaming “Operation Midway Blitz,” launched in early September, for allegedly driving crime higher. “Chicago had the safest summer since 1965 before Bovino stepped foot in our city,” Johnson claimed. “Where ICE was most active, crime went up.”
That narrative didn’t go unchallenged.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin fired back forcefully, calling out the mayor for demonizing federal law enforcement officers who are already facing a staggering 1,300% increase in assaults against them. According to McLaughlin, the contrast between sanctuary cities like Chicago and law-and-order states such as Florida is stark.
“The danger and violence our law enforcement has faced in sanctuary cities like Chicago, compared to jurisdictions like Florida, is night and day,” she said, pointing out that cooperation—not obstruction—keeps communities safer.
McLaughlin also accused Johnson and fellow sanctuary city officials of empowering criminals by refusing to work with ICE. Instead of prioritizing American citizens, she argued, they are shielding gang members, drug traffickers, and violent offenders who have no legal right to be in the country.
“He should turn down the rhetoric and work with DHS to prevent more innocent American deaths,” McLaughlin said bluntly.
Even some in the media rushed to Johnson’s defense. CNN analyst David Axelrod took to social media to accuse DHS of “misrepresentations,” citing a frustrated federal judge. But that line of attack fell flat with those actually responsible for enforcing the law.
Commander Gregory Bovino responded with a dose of reality. “The double-digit decreases in violent crime in Chicago speak the truth you’re after,” he said. “Taking violent illegal aliens off the streets by the thousands seems to bother those who choose illegal aliens over American citizens.”
At its core, this latest clash exposes the deep divide between sanctuary city ideology and public safety. While ICE works to remove dangerous criminals and dismantle fraud networks, progressive mayors continue to deflect blame and protect failed policies.
The question facing voters is simple: who is actually making their communities safer—the politicians who talk, or the law enforcement officers who act?
