Denver's mayor could be removed from office if he attempts to block President-elect Donald Trump's plan for mass deportations, according to Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has threatened a "Tiananmen Square moment" using tens of thousands of Mile High City residents to prevent Trump from his plan to deport illegal immigrants.
While appearing Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," Paul said Johnston is "on the wrong side of history" with his threat.
"I would say that the mayor of Denver, if he's going to resist federal law — which, there's a longstanding history of the supremacy of federal law — he's going to resist that, it will go all the way to the Supreme Court," Paul told host Margaret Brennan.
"And I would suspect that he would be removed from office. I don't know whether or not there'd be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law, but he will lose."
Paul added that what the mayor was "offering is a form of insurrection, where states resist the federal government. Most people objected to that and rejected that long ago."
"So, I think the mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history, and really, I think will face legal ramifications if he doesn't obey the federal law," Paul said.
Denver is a sanctuary city, which generally limits or prevents local authorities from cooperating with the federal government in enforcing immigration laws.
Johnston recently told Denverite that the city's police would not assist federal authorities in rounding up illegal migrants.
Tom Homan, whom Trump has picked to be his border czar, has warned sanctuary cities to "get the hell out of the way" when the incoming administration starts deporting illegal migrants.
Paul said he supported Trump's immigration plan, particularly going after criminals.
"I'm a hundred percent supportive of going after the 15,000 murderers, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapists, all these people. Let's send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison," he said.
"But you don't do with the Army because it's illegal."
Paul said that law enforcement authorities are better equipped than the military to carry out that role and to heed the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. There is a "distrust of putting the Army into our streets" among Americans, the senator added.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.