Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has walked back comments he made about using Denver Police to prevent federal forces deporting illegal aliens.
“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston told Denverite earlier this week.
“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.”
But in an interview with local station 9NEWS on Friday, Johnston backtracked and claimed he wasn’t calling for Trump’s deportation plans to be met with force.
“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 maintained, however, that Trump’s deportations would be met with civil disobedience and other forms of protest. He also said that if he believes Trump is acting illegally, he would be prepared to be imprisoned to stop him.
“Would you be willing to go out and protest these things?” 9NEWS Reporter Marc Sallinger asked Johnston.
“I would if I believed that our residents are having their rights violated,” Johnston said.
“I think things are happening that are illegal or immoral or un-American in our city, I would certainly protest it, and I would expect other residents would do the same.”
“Trump’s new border czar, Tom Homan, has said that he is willing to arrest leaders like yourself for standing in the way of these policies that they want to enact,” Sallinger continued. “Would you be willing to go to jail for these things?”
“Yeah, I’m not afraid of that, and I’m also not seeking that,” Johnston said.
“I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people how to solve hard problems.”
Johnston said city leaders will aim to formulate a plan for if federal forces or national guardsmen from other states are sent to Colorado.
