These Democrats have plans to fight Trump's mass deportations
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is making it clear that her state will not be part of Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan. In an interview with Newsweek on Friday, she vowed to stand firm against the president-elect's proposals, aligning with other Democratic state leaders who are determined to block efforts to send the National Guard to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
"We'll use every legal tool at our disposal to challenge mass deportations, and we'll join with other states in doing so because there is strength in numbers," Lujan Grisham said. "I will not assign the New Mexico National Guard to assist with mass deportations that break up families and wreak havoc on our economy in New Mexico.”
Lujan Grisham's statement adds to a growing chorus of opposition from leaders across the country.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has referred to Trump’s proposed migrant camps as “concentration camps.” She is also concerned that mass deportations could violate due process, or the constitutional mandate that government officials follow proper legal procedures before depriving an individual of life, liberty, or property, according to the National Constitution Center.
“The problem with that is it leads to abuses,” Mayes said of Trump’s mass deportation plans, and argued that Trump should instead focus on “violent cartel members” inside the U.S.
On Tuesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also vowed to resist incoming border czar Tom Homan's threatened deportations, saying he and Trump don't have the authority to proceed with mass deportations.
"We have laws that protect undocumented immigrants, and we're going to follow the law. I'm concerned that the Trump administration and his lackeys aren't," Pritzker said at a press conference. However, He did note some exceptions, though.
"Violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime should be deported," Pritzker said. "I do not want them in my state. I don't think they should be in the United States."
Chicago will be the first place targeted for deporting undocumented migrants after Trump is sworn in, according to Homan. Pritzker publicly vowed to protect Illinois residents last month at a press conference.
Remember Pritzker saying, “You come for my people, you come through me” in the days after the election? Later, he helped spearhead an organization called Governors Safeguarding Democracy, joining with fellow Democrats readying their fight by sharing information and resources.
The incoming Trump administration has also set its sights on California. But the border state, a longtime Trump target, is pushing back against his planned deportations. On Tuesday, Sen. Alex Padilla criticized them as “extremist” during a Judiciary Committee hearing.
Padilla also called on Congress to pass his Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, which would expedite a pathway to citizenship for the over 5 million immigrant workers deemed essential by the Trump administration during the COVID-19 crisis. According to a press release from Padilla, these workers “kept Americans healthy, fed, and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has also been vocal about his department's plans to push back against mass deportations in the Golden State, with the strong backing of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“We are ready to file,” he said, referring to a potential lawsuit. “We have been thinking about and preparing and readying ourselves for the possibility of this moment for months.”
Meanwhile, amidst a bribery indictment, it appears that New York City Mayor Eric Adams has acquiesced to Trump’s plan after meeting with Homan on Thursday.
"We're going to protect the rights of immigrants in the city that are hard-working, giving back to the city in a real way. We're not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants and long-standing New Yorkers," Adams said.
As Daily Kos reported last month, Democratic governors have a handful of options to push back against mass deportations, including executive order authority directing states not to intervene. But sheriffs can go outside this sort of sanctuary-city jurisdiction.
As governors and other local leaders join together to oppose mass deportations, it’s becoming apparent that states will be the de facto battleground for shaping U.S. immigration policy.