Denver mayor tags arrest of leading immigration advocate as 'Putin-style political persecution'
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston blasted the Trump administration for "Soviet-style political persecution of political dissidents" by arresting high-profile Colorado immigration advocate Jeanette Vizguerra, who sought sanctuary in a church for 3 years.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston blasted the Trump administration for conducting what he said is "Soviet-style political persecution of political dissidents" by arresting a high-profile Colorado immigration advocate.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Jeanette Vizguerra, who is undocumented, outside her job at a Target in Aurora on Monday. Vizguerra, a mother of four and a grandmother, gained prominence in 2017 when she took refuge in churches during the last Trump administration, when places of worship were off-limits for arrests by immigration enforcement officers.
In his second term in the White House, President Donald Trump has revoked that policy and now allows arrests at schools, houses of worship or hospital facilities.
Johnston compared Vizguerra's arrest to Soviet political persecutions "under the guise of immigration enforcement" at a morning news conference. He made similar remarks on social media, calling it "Putin-style" political persecution.
"This is a mom of American citizens, who works at Target and has started a community nonprofit. This is not something that makes our community safer, in my mind. I think it makes our community more lawless," Johnston said.
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