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Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson slammed a reporter's choice of words as 'racist' after he called undocumented immigrants 'illegal aliens.' Johnson labeled the term 'nasty' in a press briefing on Friday, after a reporter asked about city spending related to 'illegal aliens' that he was allegedly supposed to file with the White House. Video posted to the mayor's Instagram account showed Johnson immediately responding to the question as soon as the reporter finished speaking. The reporter told Mayor Johnson 'their sources said he was supposed to have filed a report on spending on illegal aliens in Chicago.' 'You were supposed to have filed a report on spending on illegal aliens on Chicago with the White House by now,' he asked. 'What has happened with that?' 'We don't have illegal aliens,' Johnson said. '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,' he added. He continued, 'We're talking about undocumented individuals that are human beings. 'The last thing I'm gonna do is accept the type of racist, nasty language, to describe human beings.' The Democratic mayor pivoted to his 'spendings on Chicagoans,' ensuring that he enabled a $16.7 billion budget into the city. 'We're investing in education, transportation, housing, youth employment, environmental justice, as well as ensuring we have safe communities,' he said. Johnson added that he's going to 'challenge the ultra wealthy' to make sure they 'pay their fair share.' After the press conference, Rep. Pramila Jayapal added to the blue city mayor's remarks, saying 'immigration violations are not criminal offenses.' 'It is very important that people in Illinois and across the country understand 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 on language.
