Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said during a Tuesday news conference that imprisoning violent criminals is “racist,” “immoral,” and “unholy,” arguing that the city and the country must move away from incarceration as a response to violent crime. Johnson made the remarks while appearing alongside Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

“We cannot incarcerate our way out of violence,” Johnson said. He argued that past efforts to reduce crime through imprisonment have failed.

“We have already tried that, and we have ended up with the largest prison population in the world, without solving the problems of crime and violence.”

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Johnson continued, “The addiction on jails and incarceration in this country, we have moved past that.” He then added, “It is racist. It is immoral. It is unholy, and it is not the way to drive violence down.”

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Chicago continues to face persistent violent crime, with the city recording hundreds of homicides annually.

Much of the violence involves shootings concentrated in specific neighborhoods on the South and West Sides, with most victims and offenders being young men.

The city’s long-running struggle with violent crime has regularly put the mayor’s public safety policies under scrutiny.

Johnson has previously taken positions opposing federal immigration enforcement operations. He has frequently pushed back against actions by the Trump administration to remove illegal aliens living in the United States.

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Last month, Johnson clashed with a reporter over terminology during a press event after the reporter used the term “illegal alien.”

Johnson responded, “We don’t have illegal aliens. I don’t know if that’s from some sort of sci-fi message that you wish to add.” He then referenced historical terminology applied to Black Americans, saying, “The legal term for my people were slaves. You want me to use that term, too? Look, let’s just get the language right.”

Johnson continued, “We’re talking about undocumented individuals that are human beings. The last thing that I’m going to do is accept the type of racist, nasty language to describe human beings.”

President Trump has responded to Johnson’s positions by saying that both Johnson and Pritzker should face consequences for refusing to protect federal law enforcement officers as they carry out their responsibilities.

Trump has argued that failure to cooperate with federal authorities undermines efforts to enforce national laws and the will of the voters.

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The mayor’s latest comments add to the ongoing debate in Chicago over crime, policing, and public safety, as city leadership continues to face questions over how to address high-profile violence while weighing broader policy approaches to criminal justice.

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