Four mayors defended the sanctuary policies of their cities at a House hearing Wednesday, as Republicans sought to take them to task for failing to cooperate with federal authorities to enforce immigration law.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee called leaders of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York to testify as the Trump administration is ramping up efforts to increase deportations, including lawsuits against New York and Illinois and its jurisdictions.
Chairman James R. Comer, R-Ky., in his opening statement, lauded the Trump administration for actions against illegal immigration, then criticized the mayors for policies he said only create “sanctuaries for criminals.”
“These reckless sanctuary policies also force federal immigration officers to go into local communities to apprehend criminal illegal aliens,” Comer said.
Federal immigration agents could make arrests in a secure environment such as a state or local jail if sanctuary cities were to simply communicate and work with them, Comer said.
“Instead, they have to risk their own safety and public safety by having to go into uncertain, dangerous circumstances just to make arrests,” Comer said.
House Republicans have filed several bills this Congress on the issue, including some to defund sanctuary jurisdictions. Comer, when asked during a break if there would be any action soon on legislation on the issue, only responded: “Stay tuned.”
Sanctuary city policies are generally known to be ordinances that prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials in deportation, such as by notifying them in the event an undocumented immigrant is arrested. Cities have defended their ability to refuse to cooperate based on Supreme Court precedent affirming localities aren’t required to cooperate with federal programs.
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia, top Democrat on the committee, defended the mayors, saying “the state and local laws that Republicans have an issue with today are in full compliance with federal law.”
“I would just argue that the premise of this hearing is false,” Connolly said. “We have local law enforcement cooperating with the local political leadership, and it’s working. It’s bringing down crime rates, and the proposition that immigrants cause crime is false.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams said his city’s laws are necessary and humane because local law enforcement needs to work with undocumented immigrants for policing and to address homelessness.
“I cannot have a city where parents are afraid to send their children to schools or where children are sleeping on the streets, creating the potential for child exploitation and sex trafficking,” Adams said. “If an undocumented person refuses to seek medical care until we have a medical emergency, our city’s health care system will be strained, and if an undocumented individual witnesses a crime was afraid to call 911, for fear of being turned over to federal authorities, criminals will roam free.”
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston defended the sanctuary policies in his city by saying migrants “did not bring a wave of crime to Denver.” In fact, Johnston said, the result has been a reduction of crimes, including homicides dropping 17 percent, shooting victims dropping 24 percent and auto theft dropping 29 percent.
“When buses started showing up, filled with migrants, some in my city were afraid, just like I’m sure some of your constituents were afraid,” Johnston said. “They were afraid about crime and homelessness and worried about what these new people might take away from them. I understand that spirit and the truth is people who are new to this country do good and bad, just like all of us.”
“But there’s another truth, when those buses kept on coming, Denver made a choice as a city, not to hate each other, but to help each other, not to turn on each other, but to turn to each other and see it together,” Johnston said. “We could solve a problem that felt bigger than any one of us, and that’s what we did.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who is among the defendants of the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Illinois and localities over its sanctuary city policies, also defended his jurisdiction’s laws as working for his city.
“Now I know there are myths about these laws, but we must not let mischaracterizations and fear mongering obscure the reality that Chicago’s crime rates are trending down,” Johnson said. “We still have a long way to go, but sensationalizing tragedy in the name of political expediency is not governing, it’s grandstanding.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the real culprit in her city’s efforts to address immigration is the Trump administration, which she said has inspired fear among his city’s consistent and “undermining that trust.”
“I spoke with pastors whose pews are half empty on Sundays, doctors whose patients are missing appointments, teachers whose students aren’t coming to class, neighbors afraid to report crimes in their communities, and victims of violence who won’t call the police,” Wu said. “This federal administration is making hard working, taxpaying, God-fearing residents afraid to live their lives. A city that’s scared is not a city that’s safe, a land ruled by fear is not the land of the free.”
Wu testified at the hearing the day after Attorney General Pamela Bondi took her to task in a social media post, appearing to criticize Boston’s leadership for its failure to cooperate with immigration law.
“Mayor Wu’s actions are callous and an insult to law enforcement across America,” Bondi wrote. “As a result of the Mayor’s decision to side with public safety threats over law-abiding citizens, DOJ will have no choice but to increase efforts in the city of Boston. Criminals will be prosecuted, illegal aliens will be arrested, and justice will be served.”
David Bier, director of immigration studies for the Cato Institute, defended the policies, telling the committee that studies show a correlation between cities with higher immigration have a lower crime rate. “The crime rate among immigrants is half that of the native population,” Bier said.
Of the top 20 cities for immigration court filings over the last four years, 19 of those cities saw a decline in their homicide rate, Bier said.
“If you look at all of the major cities, there is a negative correlation between increasing numbers of immigrants and the homicide rate,” Bier said. “So that means more immigrants, lower homicide rates. That holds true across the United States.”
Adams and Trump
Adams at the hearing faced questions about the perception he agreed to a “quid pro quo” to cooperate with the Trump administration on federal immigration law in exchange for the Justice Department dropping charges against him over foreign influence.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., asked about any potential agreement and called on Adams to resign, referring to a recent appearance the mayor made on “Fox & Friends” with Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan on cooperation on immigration issues, including by granting federal officials access to Rikers Island.
Garcia said Adams had “serious trust problems.”
“Four of the deputy mayors have resigned. Now, this is serious, and Republican prosecutors agree that the evidence against you is ironclad, yet Trump’s DOJ moved to drop these charges,” Garcia said.
When Garcia asked Adams if he was selling out New Yorkers, Adams had few words in response: “There’s no deal. No quid pro quo. And I did nothing wrong.” He added the case is currently under review before the court and would give deference to that judge.
Garcia called on the mayor to submit his resignation after drawing a distinction between him and the other mayors who had appeared as witnesses.
“Now, every other mayor on this panel is pursuing legal and effective policies that benefit our residents and their communities, their policies actually hold public safety,” Garcia said. “Now, I personally agree with the majority of New Yorkers and think, Mr. Mayor, that you should resign. You should do the right thing. You should step down and resign today.”
Connolly sought to follow up, asking Adams whether he was pressured, in exchange for the dropping and dismissal of charges, to cooperate with the Trump administration on immigration.
Adams gave essentially the same answer: “I think I was extremely clear. No quid pro quo. No agreement. I did nothing wrong to serve the people of New York City.”
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