The mayor of Denver is backtracking after making controversial comments about his city’s police force physically resisting federal deportation efforts.

President-elect Donald Trump has made his intention to immediately begin deporting illegal immigrants once he takes office very clear, and he has even said he will use military assets and declare a national emergency if necessary. His transition team has reportedly already started working out the logistics of the plan.

This apparently didn’t sit well with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who said in an interview with Denverite that it would be akin to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in China and that community members and local activists would come together to stop deportations.

“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there. 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,” he said.

However, he seems to have had a change of heart after receiving immense backlash over his remarks, telling 9NEWS: “Would I have taken it back if I could? Yes, I probably wouldn’t have used that image.”

He is holding firm in his belief that civil disobedience should be used against policies he doesn’t agree with, but he is trying to advocate for nonviolent forms of protest now. When he was asked whether he would personally be part of those trying to stop the deportations, he replied: “If I believed that our residents are having their rights violated… I would certainly protest it, and I would expect other residents would do the same.”

Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, has said that he would consider arresting any local leaders who try to stop them from sending illegals back. When asked whether he is willing to face legal consequences such as jail for pushing back against federal policies, Johnston said: “Yeah, I’m not afraid of that, and I’m also not seeking that. I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people how to solve hard problems.”

Several local leaders have promised to fight back against Trump’s plan to deport illegal immigrants

Johnston is one of several local leaders who have vowed to interfere with federal immigration enforcement when Trump takes office. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said that he will continue to uphold the state’s sanctuary policy, claiming: “If you come for my people, you come through me.”

Los Angeles is another city that has doubled down on its sanctuary status, passing an ordinance that will limit their cooperation with immigration authorities at the federal level. Mayor Karen Bass said: “This moment demands urgency. Immigrant protections make our communities stronger and our city better.”

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has said that she won’t be helping the Trump administration’s “misguided” mass deportation effort, telling ABC News: “What I will unequivocally say is that, as governor, I will not tolerate efforts that are part of misguided policies that harm our communities, that threaten our communities, that terrorize our communities, and Arizona will not take part in those.”

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, meanwhile, vowed to use “every tool in the toolbox” to protect her state’s illegal residents, while Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reaffirmed the city’s sanctuary status and said they won’t cooperate with deportation operations, either.

An undeterred Homan has said that these leaders won’t stop him from carrying out their plan to send illegals back to their home countries, stating: “If you don’t want to work with us, then get the hell out all the way. We’re going to do it.”

They’ll have the support of a lot of Americans on this, many of whom voted for Trump at least in part due to his stance on illegal immigration and border control.

Sources for this article include:

YourNews.com

FoxNews.com