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Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson lashed out at a reporter Friday after he used the term “illegal aliensduring a press briefing, calling the phrase “racist” and “disgusting.”
In a video posted Saturday on the Chicago mayor's official Instagram account, a reporter asked Johnson about a report he was supposed to file with the White House on city spending related to “illegal aliens” in Chicago.
Johnson immediately abandoned the language.
“We don’t have any illegals,” Johnson told a reporter. “I don't know, maybe this is from some science fiction message you'd like to hear… Well, look, the legal term for my people was slaves. Do you want me to use this term too? So let's just get this right. We're talking about undocumented persons These are people.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., speak at a news conference Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. Johnson criticized a reporter after he used the term “illegal aliens,” calling the phrase “racist” and “distasteful.” (@chicagosmayor via Instagram)
Johnson added that he “will not accept these types of racist and crude language to describe people.”
Blue City The mayor then moved on to discuss his administration's spending priorities, touting his $16.7 billion budget, which he said invests in education, transportation, housing, environmental justice, youth employment and public safety.
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“And we're going to encourage the super-wealthy to pay their fair share,” Johnson said.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., then joined Johnson's remarks, saying immigration violations are not criminal offenses.
People use their phones to record arguments with federal agents at an intersection in the Cicero neighborhood during an immigration raid after President Donald Trump ordered an increased federal law enforcement presence to help prevent crime, in Chicago, Oct. 22, 2025. (Jim Vondruska/Reuters)
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“It is very important that people in Illinois and across the country there is an understanding that the immigration system is a civil system,” Jayapal said. “Undocumented presence in the United States is not a criminal offense. And so thank you for the clarification about the language.”
Johnson has previously been outspoken in defending Chicago's immigration policies and criticizing the president. Donald TrumpRussian approach to crime and border enforcement.
Last month, the mayor of Chicago held a fiery news conference condemning Trump's crackdown on crime.
President Donald Trump speaks to the press on October 19, 2025, aboard Air Force One. Earlier this month, the White House escalated its feud with Illinois Democratic leaders by releasing a video attacking Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“Prisons, incarceration and policing are a disease that has not created safe communities,” Johnson said at the time.
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Last week, three undocumented immigrants and six U.S. citizens were arrested in the Chicago area in what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called “one of the most violent days” of Operation Midway Blitz.
Operation Midway Blitz was launched last month in honor of Katie Abraham, who died in a drunken hit-and-run allegedly caused by Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala.
DHS said the purpose of the operation was to “target illegal alien criminals terrorizing Americans in the Illinois sanctuary.”
The Chicago mayor's office and Rep. Pramila Jayapal did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf and Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
