In a fiery appearance on Face the Nation, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) issued a stern warning to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston over his open defiance of federal immigration laws and President Trump’s promised deportation efforts.
“You know, I’m 100% supportive of going after the 15,000 murderers, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapists—let’s send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison,” Paul asserted.
However, he made it clear that such efforts must not involve deploying the U.S. Army domestically, a move Paul deemed both unconstitutional and dangerous.
“We’ve had a long-standing distrust of putting the Army into our streets,” Paul explained. “The police understand the Fourth Amendment. They go to judges, get warrants, and ensure specificity. So, I’m for removing these people, but through the normal process of domestic policing.”
Calling the mayor’s actions a “form of insurrection,” Paul declared that Johnston could face removal from office and potential legal consequences if he continues down this path.
“The mayor of Denver, if he’s going to resist federal law, which is a long-standing history of the supremacy of federal law, if he’s going to resist that, it will go all the way to the Supreme Court,” said Paul.
“I would suspect that he would be removed from office. I don’t know whether or not there’d be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law, but he will lose. People need to realize that what he is offering is a form of insurrection where the states resist the federal government.”
“Most people objected to that and rejected that long ago. So think the mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history, and really, I think, will face legal ramifications if he doesn’t obey the federal law,” he added.
WATCH:
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says that the mayor of Denver will be removed from office if he resists federal law enforcement officials who are deporting illegal aliens: “It’s a form of insurrection” pic.twitter.com/P9e4fVxVxu
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) November 24, 2024
The Gateway Pundit previously reported on Johnston’s bold—and controversial—plan to transform Denver into a so-called “fortress of resistance.” The mayor has declared his city a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, including those with criminal records, and has even encouraged civil disobedience to block deportation efforts.
In an interview with Denverite, Johnston outlined his strategy, which includes mobilizing Denver police officers and thousands of residents to form human barricades to obstruct federal authorities.
Under mounting backlash, Johnston later walked back the remark, calling it a poor choice of words.
Despite his attempts to soften the rhetoric, Johnston remains unrepentant about his broader stance. When pressed about potential jail time for obstructing federal law enforcement, Johnston did not flinch.
9NEWS Reporter Marc Sallinger: Talk about civil disobedience. You’ve mentioned that a couple of times now. Would you be willing to participate in those as the mayor of Denver? Would you be willing to go out and protest these things?
Mike Johnston: If I believe that our residents are having their rights violated, if 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.
Marc Sallinger: 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 they want to enact. Would you be willing to go to jail for these things?
Mike Johnston: Yeah, I’m not afraid of that. I’m also not seeking that. I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people on how to solve hard problems. Republican and Democratic presidents in the past have all tried to find solutions to these problems. President Reagan helped people get access to work so they could stay and support themselves. Biden and Harris worked on restricting entry at the border to close it down. There are a lot of ways to approach this problem. We don’t think it has to come to this.
The post Rand Paul Drops the Hammer: Denver Mayor May Be REMOVED FROM OFFICE Over Defiance of Trump’s Deportation — ‘It’s a Form of Insurrection’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.