President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to launch the country’s largest deportation operation on day one of his second term. With reports that his incoming administration is preparing to declare a national emergency to mobilize the military to carry out deportations, it sounds like the president-elect is making good on his promise.

But Democratic officials around the country are not happy about it. Several Democratic governors and mayors in deep-blue states have vowed to thwart Trump’s efforts. Here’s a list of them:

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson

Shortly after the election, Windy City Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) was quick to announce that Chicago police would not work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in carrying out deportations. When asked about Border Czar Tom Homan’s plans to double ICE agents in sanctuary cities, Johnson said Chicago would resist their efforts. Johnson also couldn’t resist characterizing the deportation operations as an attack “against black families.”

Chicago residents, however, don’t agree. At a city council meeting this week, attendees urged Trump to arrest Johnson if the mayor gets in the way of deportation efforts. This is after Johnson tried to pass a $300 million property tax increase to cover rising costs associated with the city’s illegal migrant services, which Chicago councilmembers resoundingly rejected.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) also met Trump’s reelection with a vow to block ICE deportations in his city, likening the standoff between local and federal law enforcement to the Tiananmen Square massacre, when student protestors were brutally murdered for protesting China’s Communist government back in 1989.

“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston threatened in an interview with a local outlet. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants. And you do not want to mess with them.” 

Under Johnston’s watch, the violent Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua has gained a foothold in metropolitan Denver, infamously taking over apartment buildings and terrorizing residents. Johnston is also allowing 8% of the city’s 2025 budget to fund the housing and feeding of Denver’s 45,000 illegal aliens, at the expense of other essential city services. So far, Denver has spent $356 million on programs for migrants.

To be fair, Johnston has changed his tune in recent weeks, thanks in part to public polling showing support for mass deportations and perhaps Homan’s vow to throw the Denver mayor in jail. Johnston has agreed that convicted felons should be deported.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D) also announced shortly after the election that her city would not be cooperating with ICE.

“What we can do is make sure that we are doing our part to protect our residents in every possible way, that we are not cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and having large-scale economic impact,” Wu told a local news station.

In response to Wu’s comments, Homan said, “Either she helps us, or she gets the hell out of the way because we’re going to do it.”

Boston’s city council has also followed Wu’s lead. This week, they reaffirmed a 2014 resolution that only permits Boston police to collaborate with ICE on matters like human trafficking or child exploitation — but not deportation. This resolution comes after ICE arrested two illegal immigrants in Boston for alleged child sex crimes back in September.

The State of California

The state of California, which became a “sanctuary state” in 2017, is also prepping to oppose Trump’s deportation efforts. This week, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) held a special legislative session to “Trump-proof” the state, which includes setting aside an extra $25 million for the state Department of Justice’s expected legal battles against the incoming Trump administration. California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) has also vowed to protect illegal immigrants living in the state from deportation by prohibiting public institutions from cooperating with ICE.

California has the largest number of illegal immigrants of any state in the U.S., with about 1.8 million living in the Golden State as of 2022. That same year, the state spent $22.8 billion on benefits and services for illegal aliens.

Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker

Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker (D) has also said he would oppose deportation raids in his state by Trump, calling into question the constitutionality of using the military to complete them.

“The idea of calling out, you know, the army into the domestic confines of the United States seems uncalled for and may, in fact, be unconstitutional and illegal,” the governor argued. “We’ll look into that. Honestly, he says a lot of things. You never know what he’s telling the truth about.”

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) has also said her state’s law enforcement will not help with deportation efforts. Healey has warned of possible litigation against Trump’s operation.

“I think that the key here is that every tool in the toolbox is going to be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and protect our states, and certainly to hold the line on democracy and the rule of law as a basic principle,” she told MSNBC.

Expect more Democratic officials and sanctuary cities to publicly announce their opposition to Trump’s deportation plan in the weeks leading up to his inauguration, even as Homan promises to cut their federal funding for refusing to cooperate. Notably, a majority of Americans — 56% — favor mass deportations.

But as opposition to Trump’s plans grow, the president-elect was recently gifted a small victory. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled that the federal government has the authority to deport illegal aliens even if local governments try to stop it. A three-judge panel rejected a 2019 executive order from King County, Washington, that prohibited ICE from chartering deportation flights at its airport, saying the county cannot discriminate against the federal government.