President Donald Trump sparked intense backlash over the weekend after announcing a sweeping new immigration enforcement initiative, targeting large cities governed by Democrats. The move, revealed Sunday, appears to be the beginning of a broader campaign against so-called “blue cities” as part of Trump’s renewed push on immigration ahead of the 2024 election cycle.
“These Radical Left Democrats are sick in mind, hate our Country, and actually want to destroy our Inner Cities — And they are doing a good job of it! There is something wrong with them,” Trump said in a fiery statement released online.
The announcement drew swift criticism from journalists, legal experts, and political observers across the country. Many described it as a direct threat to constitutional rights and a dangerous use of federal power to intimidate political opponents.
“Trump basically just declared war on blue cities,” tweeted journalist Aaron Rupar, summarizing what many see as an unprecedented escalation in Trump’s rhetoric and intentions.
Attorney Danny Miller condemned Trump’s remarks, stating, “Trump’s dangerous. But he’s also weak. He saw what happened this weekend.” Referring to large-scale public protests, Miller continued, “The largest protest in US history to stand up for America truly stands for. Meanwhile, his birthday parade was weak and sad.”
Human rights advocates also weighed in, warning of the legal and ethical consequences of such federal actions. Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of Campaign for New York Health, said, “Trump is going after Blue cities based on nothing more than the crazy, conspiratorial voices in his head. He’s already violating our 1st, 4th, 5th & 14th Amendments, and deploying the U.S. military against citizens in L.A. This is what authoritarianism looks like.”
CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere reported that Trump’s initial actions in Los Angeles are intended as a launching point for similar operations in other major cities, indicating that this could become a nationwide policy if allowed to continue.
The Trump Lie Tracker, a popular online watchdog, stated: “Trump just escalated his war on major American cities. He plans to expand his crackdown on immigrant communities and cause chaos in the streets of our country. This is not good for our country. Americans will only be hurt by this.”
NBC political correspondent Sahil Kapur pointed out a contradiction in Trump’s policy focus. “Two of the three states with the largest population of people in the U.S. illegally are the red states of Texas and Florida. Trump, notably, does not name their cities when calling on ICE to execute more aggressive immigration raids.”
As public reaction continues to grow, Trump’s controversial plan has sparked new debates about the role of federal immigration enforcement and the use of political power against domestic opposition.