Democratic mayors of “sanctuary cities” testify before House committee

Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the committee, used his opening statement to highlight the Justice Department’s decision to drop the case against Adams. 

“President Trump has tried to force the conditional dismissal of very serious charges against one of our witnesses here today, in exchange for that witness’ total and complete submission to the radical immigration agenda being propounded by the administration,” Connolly said. “And the DOJ has done so over the objections of a Republican acting U.S. attorney who President Trump appointed.”

Connolly called the arrangement a “flagrant, corrupted quid pro quo.”

The Virginia Democrat stressed that state and local sovereignty is essential, saying denying it is an “assault on the independence of every American city across the country.”

“Today, Republicans have hauled before us the mayors of four major American cities to frame them as lawless, because those cities have some limits on how intrusively and aggressively their own officials can conduct federal immigration operations and responsibilities,” he said.

Connolly argued that the laws that the GOP takes issue with are “in full compliance with federal law,” do not obstruct federal law enforcement officials from doing their duties and are backed by evidence that he says makes communities safer.

Comer kicked off the hearing Wednesday, setting the stage to criticize the sanctuary policies by contrasting the Biden administration’s approach to immigration with President Trump’s action. 

“Over the past four years, the Biden administration created the worst border crisis in American history,” Comer said as he gaveled in the hearing. 

“In a few short weeks President Trump has proved what we all know to be true,” Comer said. “The Biden administration could have stopped the crisis at any moment, if only they had the courage to enforce the law.” 

Turning to the sanctuary policies, Comer said the laws “only create sanctuary for criminals” at American peoples’ expense. 

“We cannot let pro-criminal, alien policies in obstructionist sanctuary cities continue to endanger American communities and the safety of federal immigration enforcement officers,” Comer said. “Today, Mayors Wu, Johnson, Johnston and Adams will be held publicly accountable for their failure to follow the law and protect the American people.”
Comer said that the president is “taking action against sanctuary cities,” and Congress must follow suit by not allowing a “single penny of federal funding” to go to the jurisdictions.

New York Mayor Eric Adams’ appearance at the hearing comes as he has been embroiled in scandal in recent weeks when the Justice Department moved to drop federal corruption charges against him, a decision that was linked to his approach to immigration enforcement in the nation’s most populous city.

When Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed Manhattan prosecutors to drop the case, he justified the move in part by saying it had “unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime.” The move led to the resignation of the acting head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon, among other top Justice Department officials, who resigned in protest rather than file a motion seeking to drop the case. 

Sassoon alleged in her resignation letter that the Justice Department proposed dismissing the charges against Adams in return for his assistance in enforcing the federal immigration laws. Adams’ attorney denied that he offered to help enact the president’s deportation agenda in exchange for having his case dropped, while Bove also denied there was any quid pro quo.

Arriving for the hearing on Capitol Hill, Adams said, “The law is very clear in New York City, that we are not allowed to collaborate for federal courts with ice on civil enforcement.”

“But I also want to share with the congressional leadership here how we collaborate every day with our federal partners at going after those who are dangerous in our city,” he said. “And that is who I’ve always been, and we’re going to continue to do that, no matter the heads of these various agencies, and I look forward to doing that.”

The hearing will likely highlight a standoff between the federal government and local jurisdictions that has emerged since Mr. Trump took office.

In January, the new leadership at the Justice Department directed federal prosecutors and law enforcement to focus on enacting the president’s immigration agenda and potentially charge local officials who get in the way of their efforts, while also directing the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces to assist in enacting the policies. 

The Trump administration has also threatened to withhold federal funds for jurisdictions that don’t comply with federal immigration law or interfere with enforcement. In a January executive order dubbed “Protecting The American People Against Invasion,” the president directed the attorney general and homeland security secretary to ensure that sanctuary cities “do not receive access to Federal funds,” and take legal action against them. 

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has played a central role amid an influx of immigrants to his city. According to the Denver Gazette, around 40,000 immigrants have arrived since 2023 in Denver, which is located only 640 miles north of the border city of El Paso, Texas. Johnston’s office told the Denver Gazette that it has helped 5,000 immigrants file for asylum or work permits.

Shortly after President Trump was elected in November, Johnston said he would be willing to use civil disobedience, or if necessary, go to jail to stop immigration enforcement in his city. Mr. Trump’s border czar Tom Homan responded, saying, “Look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing. He’s willing to go to jail. I’m willing to put him in jail.”

Johnston has softened some of his language. He told Denver’s NBC affiliate a few days later that he’s “not afraid” of going to jail, but he’s “not seeking that.”

In January, he said he will work with ICE officers, although he told Denver’s Fox affiliate that the city would continue to protect schools, churches and hospitals.

Sanctuary policies generally refer to laws that dictate that a jurisdiction may not comply to some extent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, whose agents work with local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration law in non-sanctuary cities. Dozens of localities across the country limit how local law enforcement complies with ICE. 

Advocates for the sanctuary laws have long argued that compliance with ICE discourages individuals who are in the country illegally from reporting other crimes to local law enforcement, and that the sanctuary policies create a safer environment for immigrants more broadly.

The policies have been around for decades. But criticism has grown in recent years as some Democratic-led cities struggled to manage an influx of migrants who entered the country under the Biden administration. And the Trump administration’s effort to enhance border security and pledge to enact the largest mass deportation operation in history has increased tension between federal policy and the local priorities.

House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said in a statement that committee Republicans are planning to “hold sanctuary mayors publicly accountable for refusing to abide by the law and placing Americans’ lives at risk.”

Comer, who launched the probe into the cities’ policies, celebrated that the Trump administration is “rightfully taking action against sanctuary cities,” alleging that the cities’ leaders have shielded criminals and endangered public safety. He argued that for refusing to comply with federal immigration enforcement, the local governments “should not receive a penny of federal funding.”

The Kentucky Republican has highlighted President Trump’s emphasis on border security and cracking down on illegal immigration, noting that Congress must determine what other actions are necessary — while ensuring that federal law is enforced.

Here are the mayors who will be testifying before the GOP-led Oversight Committee:

• Boston Mayor Michelle Wu
• Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
• Denver Mayor Mike Johnston
• New York Mayor Eric Adams