Chicago already spent $639 million of taxpayer money on illegal aliens.
Now their mayor is suing Donald Trump to make sure the gravy train never stops.
Brandon Johnson said five words about illegal aliens this week that should end his political career – and he meant every one of them.
He Didn't Distinguish Between Legal and Illegal – Not Even Once
Johnson joined New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani – a Democratic socialist – in a lawsuit against the Trump administration this week.
The target is Trump's "public charge" rule.
The rule is simple: if you've been living off American taxpayers – food stamps, subsidized housing, government healthcare – you don't get a green card.
That's it.
This is not a new idea.
https://twitter.com/foxnewspolitics/status/2100547375525974331?s=20
The public charge standard has been federal law since 1882 – written into the Immigration Act and reaffirmed by every major immigration overhaul since, including 1952 and 1996.
For 144 years, America maintained one foundational principle: you come here to contribute, not to collect.
Brandon Johnson just decided that's over.
Read his own words.
Johnson said, "More than half a million Chicagoans were born outside the United States. They are our neighbors and an essential part of who we are."
He didn't say "legal residents" or "citizens" or "documented workers."
Everyone who shows up in Chicago – legal, illegal, welfare-dependent, or otherwise – is equally an "essential part" of America's identity.
And by extension, your job is to pay for them.
Dancing on Rooftops While 1,320 Chicagoans Got Shot
The same week Johnson filed this lawsuit, a video went viral of him dancing on a rooftop.
Not a metaphor.
Literally dancing to a pop song on a rooftop while his city burns.
1,320 Chicagoans have been shot so far in 2026.
Shootings are up 3% from last year.
https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/2099479078369648811?s=20
Motor vehicle thefts are up 10%.
Johnson's approval rating sits at 23%.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha responded to the video with two words: "What the actual F?"
Hard to argue.
This is the man suing the federal government to guarantee that welfare-dependent illegal immigrants keep their benefits – while proposing property tax hikes on the actual citizens of Chicago to close a $1 billion budget deficit.
You pay more so illegals pay nothing.
That's the deal Brandon Johnson is fighting in court to protect.
The Numbers Johnson Hopes You Never See
The Center for Immigration Studies found that from 2021 to 2025, about 47% of immigrant-headed households were on at least one traditional welfare program.
For American citizen households, that number is 28%.
That's a 19-point gap.
Nearly half of all immigrant households on welfare – and Brandon Johnson is suing the federal government to guarantee they stay there.
When confronted about the $639.6 million his city spent on illegal immigrants, Johnson told Congress it was "roughly 1% of the city's budget."
That's how he talks about your money.
Here's what Johnson and the Democrats suing Trump don't want you to figure out.
https://twitter.com/washington_EY/status/2100609472154804584?s=20
This was never about compassion.
Welfare-dependent immigrants don't just cost money – they build a permanent Democratic voting bloc.
Every family that arrives dependent on government programs is a family that votes to keep those programs – and the politicians who protect them – in power forever.
Trump's public charge rule doesn't just save taxpayer money.
It cuts off the pipeline.
That's why Johnson called a 144-year-old law "cruel" and a threat to "the health and safety of our entire city" – and why he ran to the courthouse the moment Trump put it back in place.
He's not confused.
He's telling you exactly who he is.
Sources:
- Warner Todd Huston, "Chicago's Dem. Mayor Johnson Says Illegals Are an 'Essential Part of Who We Are'," Breitbart, September 15, 2026.
- Ashley J. DiMella, "Brandon Johnson's Latest Viral Moment Sends Chicago Critics Into a Frenzy," Fox News, September 17, 2026.
- Mark Rivera and Barb Markoff, "Chicago Mayor Johnson Defends Spending on Migrant Crisis During Capitol Hill Hearings," WLS-TV, March 6, 2025.
- Mark Niquette, "Mamdani Sues to Stop Trump Admin from Blocking Immigration Applications Based on Welfare," TNND, September 2026.
- Mark Krikorian, "The Public Charge Rule Is Common Sense," National Review, August 2019.
- Center for Immigration Studies, Immigrant Welfare Use Study, 2025.
