Police group exposes one ugly priority that has cops walking away from blue cities
Democrat mayors are giving cops the middle finger.
They're prioritizing lawbreakers over law enforcement.
And a police group just exposed one ugly priority that has cops walking away from blue cities.
Blue city mayors made their priorities clear when they chose to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars to illegal aliens while forcing police departments to operate on shoestring budgets.
The message couldn't be louder.
And cops across America are fed up with getting stabbed in the back by the politicians they risk their lives to protect.
National Police Association sounds alarm on misplaced priorities
The National Police Association pulled no punches when spokeswoman Sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss what's happening in America's blue cities.
"It's very frustrating for law enforcement," Smith stated. "There are so many financial resources spent toward illegal aliens, as well as all the political capital that is being spent right now in Chicago in support of illegal aliens."¹
The numbers paint a sickening picture of twisted priorities.
New York City's tab for housing and supporting illegal immigrants will exceed $8.9 billion across 2024 and 2025.²
Illinois spent over $2.5 billion on illegal alien care since 2021, with costs vastly exceeding initial estimates.³
Chicago dropped around $255 million in 2022 and 2023 just on housing, food, clothing and other care for people who shouldn't even be in the country.⁴
All while the Chicago Police Department operates nearly 1,000 officers short and faces demands for $98 million in budget cuts.⁵
"They are tired of supporting illegal aliens and they are tired of hearing their politicians demonize law enforcement and ignore their needs," Smith explained.⁶
Democrats pick illegal aliens over public safety every single time
The pattern repeats itself in every blue city controlled by radical Democrat politicians who view law enforcement as the enemy and illegal aliens as their new voter base.
Democrat mayors slash police budgets, force staffing shortages, and then turn around and hand billions to illegal aliens who violated federal law just by crossing the border.
In December 2024, one Chicago resident finally said what millions were thinking at a City Council meeting.
"I got a great way what we can do with this budget. First, let's start with cutting off illegals getting free everything, free housing, free schooling, free food. Yeah, let's start with that. That'll save us a lot of money," the woman told Mayor Brandon Johnson.⁷
But Democrat mayors aren't listening to residents or cops.
They're too busy virtue signaling about how welcoming their cities are while crime ravages neighborhoods and good cops walk away for departments that actually value them.
The Chicago Police Department's staffing crisis isn't happening by accident.
Good cops are leaving for places where they're respected and properly funded.
Meanwhile, the city's superintendent was told to come up with $98 million in budget cuts while the mayor throws money at illegal aliens like there's no tomorrow.⁸
Trump administration forces Democrats to face reality
President Trump made securing the border and enforcing immigration law Day One priorities the moment he returned to office.
Through partnerships with local law enforcement willing to uphold federal law, the Trump Administration has rapidly expanded immigration enforcement across the country.
The 287(g) program, which allows local police to assist with immigration enforcement, was on the decline under previous administrations.
But Trump revived and expanded it, giving departments that actually want to enforce the law the tools and resources to do so.⁹
The program gives local agencies three different cooperation models with ICE – from screening detained individuals for immigration violations to allowing officers to investigate immigration status during routine duties.¹⁰
Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to use the program "to the maximum extent permitted by law" on his first day back in office.¹¹
But predictably, Democrat mayors in blue cities are throwing tantrums and refusing to cooperate.
Police chiefs in cities like Minneapolis, Omaha, and Grand Prairie publicly announced they won't assist with immigration enforcement.¹²
Washington, D.C.'s situation shows what happens when Democrat mayors try to have it both ways.
Mayor Muriel Bowser insisted her city wasn't a sanctuary city because police cooperated with ICE in the past.
But after Trump federalized the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department to crack down on crime, Bowser tried to backtrack and limit ICE cooperation once federal control ended.¹³
Trump threatened to federalize the department again if Bowser didn't comply.¹⁴
The choice facing Democrat mayors is crystal clear – work with the Trump Administration to remove illegal aliens who committed crimes, or continue protecting lawbreakers while their cities burn.
Cops deserve better than what Democrats are giving them
Sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith made clear what should be obvious to everyone.
The billions being spent on illegal aliens should be redirected toward police training and recruitment to help cities combat crime.¹⁵
"Our government system was not designed to be able to support millions of people from other countries, especially at a time when we have so many people who are citizens of the United States and are really in need of assistance," Smith said.¹⁶
According to the National Police Association, nine out of ten police departments across the country are dealing with staffing shortfalls.¹⁷
The so-called "defund the police" movement that swept through blue cities after George Floyd's death accelerated a crisis that had been brewing for years.
Now cities that slashed police budgets are desperately trying to reverse course as crime surges.
But the damage is done.
Good cops left for greener pastures, and recruiting new officers has become nearly impossible in cities where politicians treat law enforcement like the enemy while rolling out the red carpet for illegal aliens.
Democrat voters in blue cities face a choice.
They can keep electing the same lunatics who prioritize illegal aliens over public safety.
Or they can vote for leaders who understand that the first duty of government is protecting American citizens – not providing free housing, food, and services to people who broke federal law to get here.
The cops who protect these cities have already made their choice.
They're tired of being treated like second-class employees while illegal aliens get the VIP treatment.
And thousands of them are walking away from blue cities that refuse to have their backs.
¹ Bailee Hill, "Police say they're 'tired' of Dem cities spending billions on illegal aliens over cops: law enforcement group," Fox News, October 30, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Anumita Kaur, "The revival of an old program delegates Trump immigration enforcement to local police," The Washington Post, May 20, 2025.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Rep. Michael Cloud, "RELEASE: Cloud Bill Would Empower Local Police in Immigration Enforcement, Supporting Trump's Border Security Efforts," House.gov, September 18, 2025.
¹² Brian Mann, "Local governments across U.S. signal they won't aid Trump migrant crackdown," NPR, January 24, 2025.
¹³ Julia Ainsley, "D.C. police to increase cooperation with ICE as part of Trump's crackdown," NBC News, August 14, 2025.
¹⁴ Solcyré Burga, "Trump Threatens to 'Federalize' D.C. Over ICE Cooperation," TIME, September 15, 2025.
¹⁵ Bailee Hill, "Police say they're 'tired' of Dem cities spending billions on illegal aliens over cops: law enforcement group," Fox News, October 30, 2025.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ "Fact Check Team: Cities that called to 'defund police' grappling with crime surge boost police funding amid staffing shortfalls," ABC 33/40, August 16, 2023.
