The three must explain to a House committee their states’ immigration policies and cooperation with federal enforcement.
Three Democrat governors will testify before House lawmakers next month about their states’ sanctuary policies.
Govs. JB Pritzker, Tim Walz, and Kathy Hochul of Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, respectively, are scheduled to provide testimony on June 12.
The three must explain their states’ immigration policies and cooperation with federal immigration enforcement to the House Oversight and Reform Committee, according to Chair James Comer (R-Ky.).
Comer in January launched an investigation into sanctuary cities. Sanctuary jurisdictions are defined as states, counties, or cities that limit their cooperation with efforts to deport illegal immigrants.
“The Trump administration is taking decisive action to deport criminal illegal aliens from our nation, but reckless sanctuary states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement,” Comer wrote in a
May 6 statement. “The governors of these states must explain why they are prioritizing the protection of criminal illegal aliens over the safety of U.S. citizens, and they must be held accountable.”
NTD called Pritzker’s office for a statement and confirmation of his attendance but did not receive an immediate response. NTD also reached out via email to the press offices of Hochul and Walz but did not receive a response by publication time.
This is the second group of leaders summoned to Washington to testify on sanctuary policies. The House panel
held a March 5 hearing with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams about their cities’ sanctuary policies. The mayors refused to change their policies that obstruct federal immigration authorities’ efforts to remove criminal aliens from the United States,
according to Comer.
Adams, however, has previously suggested he would cooperate more with federal agencies. The New York mayor earlier this year reached an agreement with the Trump administration to reestablish an immigration office at the state’s notorious Rikers Island jail.
“We should be communicating with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], and if ICE makes the determination of deporting, then they should,”
Adams said. “The mere fact that we cannot share with ICE that this person has committed three robberies, that this person is part of an organized gang crew, the mere fact that we can’t say that or communicate that, that’s problematic for me.”
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the panel’s top Democrat, said the upcoming House hearing with the trio of governors is happening only because Republicans failed in their first hearing with the cohort of mayors.
“Chairman Comer and Republicans failed to get the ‘gotcha moments’ they wanted during March’s hearing, where Oversight Democrats and Democratic mayors swatted off their overtly political attacks and called out the Trump administration and congressional Republicans for their cruel and lawless attacks on immigrants, their children, and their families,” Connolly wrote in a
statement.House Oversight Democrats in a
separate statement said they welcomed the opportunity to fight for humane immigration policies, alleging that the Trump administration has enforced a cruel and extremist agenda that only makes the country less safe.
The House hearing is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration and criminal activity. Trump, during the 2024 presidential election, pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. According to the White House, there have been
139,000 deportations since President Trump took office.
The president signed an executive order calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to produce a list of cities and states that “obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”
In addition to so-called “sanctuary governors,” other people in high-profile roles have been accused of pushing back on federal immigration enforcement. In one case, a Wisconsin judge was
accused of helping an illegal immigrant in her courtroom evade ICE agents. The judge has been charged with concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding. In another case, a former New Mexico judge and his wife
were arrested and accused of harboring a suspected member of a Venezuelan criminal gang.
