As the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement, a growing movement is calling for consequences against mayors who obstruct federal efforts to remove illegal immigrants from U.S. cities. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf have both signaled that city leaders who refuse to comply with federal law should be held accountable.

During an interview on Fox News, Noem was asked whether the administration would take steps against mayors who attempt to block immigration enforcement efforts. “Nobody’s above the law,” she responded. “Of course we will.” She added that her department would follow President Donald Trump’s directives on how to handle sanctuary city policies.

Sanctuary city mayors are completely out of touch with the American people.

They care more about protecting illegal alien criminals than their own citizens.

More from @Sec_Noem ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Zijioq2tKE

— House Homeland GOP (@HomelandGOP) January 31, 2025

Sanctuary cities, which implement policies to shield illegal immigrants from federal authorities, have long been a point of contention. Noem said these policies are interfering with DHS operations but vowed that enforcement would not be deterred. “They are limiting some of our tools that we want in our toolbox, but we’re going to continue to go in and use our operations,” she said.

Sanctuary City Mayor Adams is upset about his policies: "We turned this city around in 20 months and then what happened? A madman down in Texas decided he wanted to bus people up to New York City. 110,000 migrants we have to feed, clothe, house, give them everything they need." pic.twitter.com/3511gB9iYF

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 7, 2023

Chad Wolf also weighed in, singling out Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for his resistance to immigration enforcement. “He is protecting criminal aliens in his community,” Wolf said in a Newsmax interview. “I think this administration, particularly the Department of Justice, needs to look carefully at elected officials if they’re going to continue to… try to get around federal law.”

Johnson has maintained that Chicago will remain a welcoming city for migrants, regardless of federal policies. However, Wolf argued that such actions could warrant federal intervention. “They’re on the wrong side of history when it comes to protecting their citizens and protecting their community from dangerous illegal aliens,” he said.

In recent weeks, DHS has taken aggressive steps to reverse Biden-era immigration policies. A department memo confirmed that protections for approximately 600,000 Venezuelan nationals had been revoked, marking a shift toward stricter enforcement under Trump’s leadership.