THE DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Democratic governors and other liberal elected officials have lined up to declare that they will fight back against President-elect Donald Trump’s hard-line agenda against illegal immigration.
Trump, who won the Nov. 5 election, has promised to conduct mass deportations across the country and withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities, along with a slate of other hawkish enforcement proposals.
However, Democratic governors in Massachusetts, California, and Illinois—all seen as potential 2028 presidential contenders—and other elected leaders have said they will use their authority to push back against the upcoming second Trump administration’s agenda.
“I think that the key here is that every tool in the toolbox has got to be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and protect our states, and certainly to hold the line on democracy and the rule of law as a basic principle,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said to MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell after Trump’s victory.
Healey confirmed that Massachusetts State Police would “absolutely not” help the Trump administration’s deportation plans.
The entire state of Massachusetts is already described as a “sanctuary” haven by the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports enforcement of immigration law and tracks sanctuary laws and policies.
Healey’s reluctance to help the incoming administration’s enforcement efforts follows her state’s struggles with the ongoing border crisis, having publicly asked illegal immigrants not to go to her state and offered plane tickets for them to leave.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called Nov. 7 for a special session of the state Legislature to “protect California values” from the incoming Trump administration.
“The special session will focus on bolstering California legal resources to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families,” a statement from the governor’s office reads. “On immigrant protection, California has advanced policies that support immigrant families and is investing in their protection.”
Like Massachusetts, the entire state of California is also deemed a “sanctuary” jurisdiction for statewide policies that forbid cooperation between local law enforcement officials and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Newsom’s office told The Associated Press that the special session for lawmakers will help “Trump-proof” the state’s laws.
In addition to conducting the “largest deportation program in American history,” Trump has also said he would end birthright citizenship for those born on American soil by illegal migrant parents, bring back the “Remain in Mexico” program, hire more Border Patrol agents, and establish a compensation fund for victims of what he calls migrant crime.
The president-elect announced late Sunday that he was picking former ICE acting Acing director Tom Homan to be the border czar in the new administration, making clear the upcoming administration will be adopting a tough stance on enforcement.
The president-elect announced late Sunday that he was picking former ICE acting Director Tom Homan to be the border czar in the new administration, making clear it will adopt a tough stance on enforcement.
“To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom and opportunity and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said during a press conference after Trump’s victory. “You come for my people, you come through me.”
Pritzker said Illinois would remain a sanctuary state and vowed to take the second Trump administration to court if it attempts to withhold federal funds over the issue. The president-elect has pledged to force sanctuary cities and jurisdictions to cooperate with immigration authorities by stripping them of federal public safety grants.
Numerous local Democratic elected officials have also signaled that they will do what they can to stymie Trump’s agenda on illegal immigration, with several members of the Los Angeles City Council saying that they will fast-track passage of a sanctuary city ordinance, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles legislation, still under review by city attorneys, would prohibit federal immigration enforcement officials from accessing Los Angeles databases.
A spokesperson for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment when asked by the Daily Caller News Foundation if she would support the bill.
Many liberal organizations have also declared they are ready and waiting to fight the Trump administration tooth and nail, including the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU has filed over 400 legal actions against Trump and his previous administration since 2016, a large portion targeting immigration directives from Trump’s first term.
“Starting on Day One, we’re ready to fight for our civil liberties and civil rights in the courts, in Congress, and in our communities,” the ACLU said after Trump’s election victory. “We did it during his first term—filing 434 legal actions against Trump while he was in office—and we’ll do it again.”
