Embattled Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was confronted by angry residents at a town hall meeting over the migrant crisis as they called on Donald Trump to “make an example of him.”
Johnson, 48, has had a torrid term as mayor since his election last year, with Chicagoans now speaking out about his handling of the migrant crisis and the massive taxpayer dollars he has poured into the issue.
A lawsuit earlier this year found that more than 42,000 migrants entered Chicago between August 2022 and June 2024, and that Johnson spent as much as $400 million addressing the influx — a large percentage of which went to private companies.
Anger over Johnson’s approach reached boiling point on Tuesday when residents were given the opportunity to make their voices heard directly to the Democrat.
An exasperated woman said to him, “We have a billion dollar deficit, and you spent half our money on illegal activities?”
She also cited Johnson’s refusal to assist ICE in allowing Trump’s mass deportation plan, saying, “Y’all stood up there and said you’re not going to allow Trump to come here and kill these illegals to achieve… Trump, Tom Homan, give an example of that. this one ne*** here first.’
Johnson took exception to her use of the word “ne***” and turned off her microphone while telling her to only use “appropriate” language.
When her microphone was turned back on, the resident became even more furious as she refused to be silenced by Johnson, barking at him, “Okay, now we’re about to make you all famous.”
An angry Chicago resident slammed Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handling of the migrant crisis as she called on Donald Trump to make ‘an example’ of him
Johnson’s tenure as mayor of Chicago has been dominated by the migrant crisis, with it revealed earlier this year that he has spent more than $400 million on an influx of more than 42,000 migrants
Johnson stood with his hands in his pockets and grinned as Chicagoans fumed over his handling of the crisis.
In a speech to the woman whose microphone was cut off by the mayor, another man also defended Johnson’s position on blocking deportations.
“You told Trump you won’t blink? Well, neither do we,” he said. ‘You are not above the law.
“And where do you go when Trump pulls that trump card on you?”
When the second woman stood up to speak, she called out Johnson’s perceived flippant attitude toward the response.
“Yes, you can laugh,” she said.
“You campaigned and you doubled down on not raising property taxes. Your campaign did that around, and here we are now.
“You want to raise our taxes by $300 million. The city council shut it down, and now you’re back for $150 million.”
She was referring to a recent attempt by Johnson to pass a $300 million property tax increase, which was promptly rejected by City Hall 50-0.
After weeks of negotiations, the mayor’s administration this week focused on a deal to raise property taxes by $68.1 million, the government said. Chicago Sun Times.
The outraged Chicagoan called out Johnson for his previous promises not to raise property taxes, before recently trying to do so in a bid to raise money
Johnson has angered many of his voters as he has proposed several tax increases to fund the migrant crisis, with many wondering when he will turn his attention to the problems facing Chicagoans.
The references to Johnson adding half a billion dollars to the city’s budget deficit come after a lawsuit earlier this year found the city had spent more than $400 million on migrants within two years.
According to an NBC5 investigation, most of the money went to private companies that provide services, including staffing migrant shelters and signing leases.
Of the $400 million, a whopping $253 million went to just one company, Kansas-based Favorite Healthcare Staffing, to hire migrant shelters.
And in the spring, Johnson revealed he was seeking $70 million in taxpayer money to help with the budget deficit caused by the migrants.
At the time, Johnson informed city council members of plans in April to push through the funds to keep the city’s response to helping migrants afloat.
But the plans sparked anger in his city, as many wondered why the money didn’t go to Chicago residents, and was instead used to fund an unprecedented wave of newcomers.
Last month, this led to another scathing meeting at City Hall where residents rejected his tax hike proposals.
Last month, Johnson also faced another angry city council meeting over his tax hike plans, with resident Tyjuan Sims (pictured) accusing him of neglecting Chicagoans while offering protection to undocumented immigrants.
The heated council meeting culminated in a unanimous rejection of the plan, after locals expressed their anger in vicious outbursts against the mayor.
One of the most outspoken critics was Tyjuan Sims, who confronted Johnson directly, accusing him of neglecting Chicagoans while offering protection to undocumented immigrants.
‘The FBI needs to speak to you! The DOJ needs to speak to you! And hopefully Donald Trump will speak to you,” Sims says, his voice echoing through the room.
“You’re going to protect the undocumented, while you let the citizens of Chicago suffer because of your, what? Three percent?’
The proposed tax increase would increase homeowners’ property taxes by up to 4 percent and comes as Chicago struggles with a nearly $1 billion budget deficit.
It came before all 50 city council members voted against the tax increase.