“As the mayor of Chicago, we are incredibly elated and proud of him,” Johnson told The Associated Press in an interview Friday, a day after meeting the American pope in a private audience.
Johnson, a first-term leftist Democrat leading the third-largest U.S. city, traveled to Rome with a delegation of some 50 local officials, drawing strong media interest. He is a leading critic of President Trump and has applauded Leo for pushing back against the war in Iran and Trump's efforts to deal with former President Joe Biden's open border polcies which allowed millions of illegal immigrants to pour into the country.
Johnson said Pope Leo asked directly about conditions in Chicago following a broader U.S. crackdown against illegal immigrants and efforts to deport them...especially those who have committed violent crimes.
