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Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson erupted at a reporter on Friday after they used the term “illegal aliens” during a press briefing, slamming the phrase as “racist” and “nasty.”
In a video posted Saturday to the official Instagram account of the Chicago mayor, a reporter asked Johnson about a report on city spending related to “illegal aliens” in Chicago that he was allegedly required to file with the White House.
Johnson immediately pushed back on the language.
“We don’t have illegal aliens,” Johnson said to the reporter. “I don’t know if that’s from some sort of sci-fi message that you wish you’ve had… Well listen, the legal term for my people were slaves. You want me to use that term too? So, look, let’s just get the language right. We’re talking about undocumented individuals that are human beings.”
NOEM, IN ILLINOIS, CALLS OUT GOV. PRITZKER, CHICAGO’S MAYOR OVER THEIR HANDLING OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., speak at a press conference on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. Johnson erupted at a reporter after they used the term “illegal aliens,” slamming the phrase as “racist” and “nasty.” (@chicagosmayor via Instagram)
Johnson added that he would not “accept that type of racist, nasty language to describe human beings.”
The blue city’s mayor then shifted to discuss his administration’s spending priorities, touting his $16.7 billion budget that he said invests in education, transportation, housing, environmental justice, youth employment and community safety.
JB PRITZKER SAYS ICE ‘HARASSING PEOPLE FOR NOT BEING WHITE’
“And we are going to challenge the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share,” Johnson said.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., then chimed in to back Johnson’s remarks, arguing that immigration violations are not criminal offenses.
People use their phones to record as they argue with federal agents at an intersection in the Cicero neighborhood…
